Communing with the Past Rangers
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Follow on from "Return of the Privateer". As the team tries to deal with Troy's departure, a new mystery arises. When Emma has a vision of past Rangers like Orion's, the Rangers investigate the source of these visions...and ask whether they can glean some wisdom from their predecessors.
1. Chapter 1

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, characters, places, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating:** T – There will be some mild adult themes and language.

**A/N:** New episodes are beginning at the end of August...the hiatus is ALMOST over! Before then, I'll also be heading on a trip to a certain con! In the meantime, hope you enjoy this little story I've come up with to bridge the gap.

Another day had come; another problem had seemingly arisen for the Rangers. Well, no one was entirely sure it was a problem, but it was certainly something that they really didn't understand.

Everyone knew that Orion experienced visions of the past 6th Rangers though his morpher. It was something he had told them when he first came to them. It was a little like how Troy had experienced dreams of a war to come, of a great battle in which an army of Rangers faced off against The Armada. In Orion's case though, it seemed like the connection ran much deeper. The Rangers came to him in these visions, and lent him their strength, their knowledge, their experience. He had even talked about training with them back on his home planet. Over time though, he seemed to have less contact with them. He still got messages from them when he prayed, but having now joined up with the team and started training with them, it seemed like they were spending less time teaching him their ways. Like most of them, he had been a loner at first, and it seemed an important part of his development as a Ranger was becoming a part of the team.

The team already had a lot of adjustments to get used to as a result of their most recent battle. They had faced Lafitte, the deadly and infamous space pirate numerous times in their battles to retrieve the Ranger Keys. He had been obsessed with harnessing their power, of creating an army of Rangers for himself in his pursuit of plunder. In the end, after being only moments from defeating them, after taking them to the very limit of their endurance, he had finally been defeated, ridding them of a powerful foe, but not without a heavy price. As a result of the battle, Troy had lost his right leg beneath the knee.

Everyone understood why he opted to remain behind in Briarwood, to spend time dealing with the changes he'd have to make to his life. He didn't want to be a burden to the team, to hold them back in their battles. He had said that he couldn't live with himself if the team had to put themselves in any more danger than was necessary in order to cover for his limitations, and so until he felt like he was able to pull his weight, he had opted to leave the team. It was a difficult decision, and one that had left them all disheartened. Emma especially, knowing that she had to leave the man she loved behind.

However, that wasn't what had them worried right now. Now, for the first time, one of the Rangers other than Orion had experienced visions. Emma was sitting in the room the Rangers had designated their infirmary while Noah, Tensou and Jordan ran some tests. Jordan's return had been another unexpected development. He had broken free of The Library to seek out the Rangers, to help them in their time of need, but in doing so had also paid a price. Vrak had attacked him shortly after he got back to Earth, and had stolen the Robo Knight armour from him. They still didn't know why, but they doubted he wanted it as a souvenir. While he wanted to bring the Robo Knight back where it belonged, he had agreed to bolster the Ranger's ranks. It wasn't the same, but at least they had a Red Ranger.

Emma was more than a little freaked out by the visions. She was sitting on a bench with Gia, who had her arm wrapped around her, trying to keep her calm. While her first vision, seeing herself as the original Pink Ranger Kimberly, celebrating with her team wasn't so bad, the next one was a lot less pleasant. She had been transported into the body of the Pink Galaxy Ranger, Kendrix, moments before her death destroying the Savage Sword. It was several minutes before her heart didn't feel like it was going to explode it was pumping so hard. She still couldn't bring herself to hold her morpher, which was sitting across the room on a bench.

"How long is this going to take?" Gia asked. "How hard can it be Jordan, you designed the damn things!"

"Yeah, because his designs always work out so well." Tensou said sarcastically. "That's why you've spent all hear smacking me over the head."

"How many times do I have to apologise for that?" Jordan grumbled. Tensou just looked to him.

"How about 16?" Tensou asked him. "That's how many times one of my friends had to hit me to kick start your stupid tracking program." Jordan just shook his head, getting his mind back onto the current issue.

"Right, you all know there's an element of memory transference using the Ranger Keys." He reminded them. "Using the morphers, you get the appropriate memories needed to know how to use their weapons, their powers and abilities."

"Yeah, we all know about that." Jake stated. "But that still doesn't explain why Orion had conversations and flashbacks of them."

"Or why Emma's just now waking up screaming the ship down because she finds herself re-living a Ranger's agonisingly painful death!" Gia added. Jordan just threw his hands up.

"I don't know!" He admitted. "I mean, I thought before it might have something to do with Orion's physiology, like it might be something in his DNA that we'd missed that explained the difference in how he experiences these memories, but...well...now Emma's experienced it..."

"We could all find ourselves dropping in on our predecessors randomly." Jake muttered. "OK, I don't know about any of you, but while seeing some of the stuff they did might be cool, I'd really rather not go on a serious trip in the middle of a battle!"

Noah looked away for a second, a curious look crossing his face.

"What?" Jake asked.

"Um...I just...I wanted to check something." Noah stated. "It's probably nothing..."

"So, are you feeling any better now?" Gia asked. Emma just nodded.

"I'm not sure I'll be sleeping again anytime soon." She muttered. "I really just wish I knew what was happening to me. This really freaked me out, but...a part of me is glad this happened too."

"Glad?" Gia asked. "Emma, you practically had a heart attack."

"I know that particular memory was rough, but...you don't know what it was like." Emma stated. "It wasn't just a case of having the memory of their equipment, it's like I got to see them, BE another Ranger. To feel and experience what they did."

"Yeah, I kind of got that part." Gia said with a shudder.

"No, you don't get it. I didn't just get the practical stuff; I got to see into their hearts, their minds. I got to feel what made them such great Rangers in the first place." She explained. "I saw their hopes and dreams, all the things that gave them their strength. It's like...I was finally able to see why they were chosen. They were all more than just their powers."

"Emma..."

"I guess seeing what they were made of first hand, it made me feel like I'm part of something huge, I feel like I'm part of an amazing legacy." Emma told her. Gia smiled.

"Well, as long as you don't go having any more panic attacks I'll be happy." Gia told her. "You know what I get like when I'm tired, and my room IS right next to yours."

"Yeah...you mentioned that before." Emma said with a slight blush. She HAD been sharing that room with Troy, and Gia had mentioned to her quietly to bear that in mind one night when she heard a little more than she was comfortable hearing. "I'm sorry; I'll try to keep the screaming to a minimum from now on."

"Well, these tests are going to take a while." Noah announced sadly. "Until then, there's really not much more we can do."

"Well, after this I doubt any of us are going to be sleeping tonight." Gia answered. "Come on Emma, get your camera. If we're lucky we can get some good night shots or...something."

Gia took Emma to get her camera, while Jake just looked to the others.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Jake asked. "I think there's some fruit salad in the fridge..."

"Thanks, but I'm going to my room." Orion answered them. "Maybe if I rest up for a while, I can get back to sleep."

"Well, you know where we are if you change your mind." Jake told him. Noah just looked to the others, before transferring some data to his tablet.

"I think I'm going to study this in private for a while." Noah stated. "Tensou, would you mind coming with me?"

"Sure." Tensou replied, flying after him, but taking care to fly close enough to Jordan that he had to duck. Jake noticed Jordan sighing deeply as he straightened up, watching them go.

"Tensou really isn't letting this go is he?" Jake asked. Jordan just shook his head.

"I guess I can't be too surprised." Jordan responded. "It's not as if I've been covering myself in glory in the whole 'mentor' thing have I?"

"Jordan, you shouldn't be too hard on yourself." Jake told him. "It's not like you were given much preparation for the role or anything. No one's good at anything the first time! The first time I tried to hit a free-kick in practice, the whole team ended up standing IN the goal. It was the only place they knew they wouldn't get hit."

"Jake, it's not exactly the same thing." Jordan stated.

"Dude, I broke Noah's glasses." Jake chuckled. "He wasn't even in the stands...he was on the other side of the playground!"

"Jake, I...wow, the other side of the playground...you really DID suck!" Jordan replied. Jake shrugged.

"Hey, no one from Harwood can kick a dead ball like I can." Jake answered. "But like all the greats, it took a lot of practice. I don't think I could begin to imagine how long I spent practicing free kicks until I got it down."

"That's all well and good Jake, but it's not the same thing." Jordan reiterated. "Tensou...he's just one in a long line of epic fails."

"Jordan..."

"I mean, when I programmed those Ranger Keys...they scattered! Hell, some of them didn't even end up on Earth!" He reminded him. "Tensou's spent the year getting hammered...LITERALLY, and then..."

He breathed a sigh.

"I come to help you, and I end up losing the Robo Knight." He told him. Jake just returned to him, placing down a banana split. Jordan looked to him. "Um...that doesn't look much like a fruit salad."

"Yeah, but we didn't have much ice cream." Jake told him. "I figured fruit salad wouldn't be as appealing an option. Besides, there's fruit in there...see the bananas and the cherries?"

Jordan just shrugged and accepted it as Jake sat with him, placing another in front of himself and took a bite.

"It's like, every time I try and help, I just end up making things worse." Jordan told him. "Maybe dad didn't put me in The Library to prepare me for some great role in the war. Maybe he just figured that was the only place I couldn't do any more harm."

"Jordan, he let you create our new powers. You created all our weapons...and in case you forgot, you are sitting in one of your own Zords as we speak." Jake assured him.

"I guess..."

"Jordan, you're not the only one who screws up. Do you remember how many times we thrashed your dad's stuff?" Jake said in a small laugh. "Your stuff's stood up to the task pretty well, and believe me...we've put it to the test more than a few times!"

"So the weapons might have held up." Jordan stated. "That doesn't help with the small matter of...well...let's just say my career hasn't exactly been stellar. I just don't want to screw things up any more for the team now you actually have to rely on me in battle."

"You didn't do too badly as the Robo Knight." Jake complimented him. "You were a pretty good fighter in your own right."

"But I was never the Red guy!" Jordan reminded him.

"Well, Gia's taken the lead if you remember, so that's a little pressure off." Jake said as he took another large mouthful. "You were always pretty good in a fight."

"I know it's just...its Troy's morpher." Jordan answered. "I just have some pretty big shoes to fill."

Jake just stopped eating and looked at him. Jordan suddenly realised what he had said.

"And...That's exactly the kind of thing I do." Jordan muttered. "I didn't..."

"I know what you meant." Jake replied. "I'm not sure Emma would have appreciated hearing that, but I know what you meant."

"I just don't know how I'm going to replace Troy." Jordan admitted. Jake just shrugged.

"You don't." Jake told him. "You just need to be a different kind of Red."

"Thanks man." Jordan said with a small smile. "I have missed this."

"Hey, it's good seeing you too." Jake answered. As Jordan was about to take a bite, Jake grabbed the back of his head, and shoved his face into the banana split. Jordan just glared at him.

"Really?" He asked. "I didn't mean anything..."

"Oh, that wasn't for the Troy thing." Jake answered. "I just haven't had the opportunity to get you back for the Green thing yet."

Jordan just laughed and shook his head, wiping himself off, before returning to his dessert. He had missed the team dreadfully, and even things like this reminded him how much. His return might not have been the most graceful, but he was determined to make sure that he did as much as he could to help.

In another part of the ship, Noah approached Orion's room, and knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. It took a while, but the team knew that was sometimes the case. Orion often used the privacy of his room to pray, and observe some of his rituals. While he had explained some of his beliefs to them, and Emma in particular had read up on his faith, identifying with the way it was tied intrinsically to the planet and its respect for its gifts, they knew that while he wasn't exactly hiding his faith, his rituals were something that were of great personal importance to him.

Orion eventually answered the door. The room was largely in darkness, with only a slightly orange glow flickering in the background. Noah looked to him.

"Hi, um...I wanted to ask you about something." Noah began nervously.

"Can it wait?" He asked. "I was just in the middle of a Communing Ritual..."

"A Communing Ritual?" Noah asked him. Orion just smiled.

"Yes." He answered. "I was going to ask the Earth Gods for guidance, to see if they could tell me what happened to Emma."

"Well, do you mind if I join you?" Noah asked him. Orion just looked to him curiously.

"Why?" He asked. Noah tried to look for an explanation. While he was never disrespectful of other people's beliefs, and admired the strength people took from religion, he had never been convinced by it himself. The way he saw it, the pursuit of Faith was a lot like the pursuit of science, in that it was people's way of looking for answers to the big questions in life, their way of understanding things that were beyond simple explanations. While he used science for that, he didn't see any reason to disparage anyone that sought another path.

He had never been much for ritual or prayer. He had politely refused when Jake offered to take him to the Synagogue as a kid, and he couldn't count the number of flyers he had been offered on the streets of Harwood when he was going about his business.

"I was just...curious." Noah told him. "Emma talked a lot about your beliefs, and a lot of it sounded interesting."

"You've never shown an interest before." Orion told him. Noah just sighed.

"Yeah, I guess I'm sorry about that." Noah told him. "It's just...I've always heard you can only understand so much from books. I was wondering if you would mind me sitting in on it. You know, to see what it's like first hand."

Orion just stood for a moment, before showing him inside. The room was lit only by a few candles, and he could see that Orion had set up a small burner in the middle of the floor, on which a tea pot was sitting. Orion looked out a second cup.

"Sorry, I thought I'd be alone for this." He told him. "It's been a long time since I've taken part in one of these ceremonies with anyone else."

"I'm honoured you'd let me sit in." Noah answered as he saw Orion sit on a cushion on the floor. He did likewise, sitting opposite Orion.

"OK, the main thing about this is to clear your mind, to relax and just...let the Earth Gods in." Orion told him. Noah just started to relax, looking around at the room. The glow from the candles created a warm and comforting feeling. As Orion poured him some tea, he offered it to Noah.

"Drink it." Orion told him. Noah just looked to the cup. "It's an offering, an invite to the Earth Gods."

Noah took a small sip, but as he did so, he spilled a little on his shirt. He looked over to Orion as he finished his cup.

"You need to be completely relaxed." Orion told him, gesturing to the cup. "Go on."

Noah finished the rest of his cup, before watching as Orion started to slow his breathing.

"Now, just concentrate on your breathing and let them come to you." He told him. "Just relax and..."

His words tailed off as he was disturbed by a bright glow. He looked to Noah, realising that it was coming from his morpher, which he had clipped to his belt. Noah took in a deep, sharp breath, before collapsing on the floor.


	2. Noah's Experience

He staggered through the streets, shuffling along as he tried to find his way along the street, barely able to keep his balance. People going about their business tried their best to ignore him, but a few were unfortunate enough to come close enough to him they had to move so he didn't bump into them. The expression on their faces said it all. Some looked almost sympathetic, some looked on him with disgust, but all of them looked to him in a way that said they saw him as something they didn't want a part of.

He got to some wrought iron gates, looking to them for a moment in the darkness, and saw a barrier to his progress. He stood, looking at them for a moment, before downing what was left in the beer bottle in his hand, and throwing it aside, smashing it on the pavement nearby, before backing up a couple of paces and throwing himself at the gate, starting to clamber over them.

He managed to get to the top of the gate surprisingly simply for someone that was obviously so badly drunk. His agility and balance were pretty astounding all things considered, but as he got to the top, and leant over the top, his co-ordination failed him and he fell head-first, almost breaking his neck as he landed in a heap on the ground. He got up, and started to dust himself off, although given his current condition, his clothing was already filthy, making the whole gesture somewhat pointless.

"Shit." He muttered as he straightened himself up against the fence, before reaching into his pocket. Somehow, miraculously, he hadn't managed to break the new bottle of beer he had in his pocket. He started to make his way along the path, staggering one way, then another, looking around. All around him were head stones, more accurately they were memorials, since the plot he had broken into was attached to a crematorium. He stopped at one, bracing his bottle on the edge, before hitting the cap, flipping it off in a well-practiced motion, and took a sip as he made his way onward, finding the one he was looking for.

He came up to it, slumping to his knees before the marker, and looked on it as his heart broke. The marble shiny black slab before him was so unremarkable, but at the same time represented...she was gone. The most important person in his life was gone, just like that. She had been snatched from him, taken long before her time.

He reached out to the stone, running his fingers across the lettering. He had known her his whole life, he had grown up with her, one of his best friends since the day they could even understand the concept of friendship. They had been inseparable through kindergarten, grade school, middle school, high school, they had even gone to the academy together. The day he got his letter telling him he had a place waiting for him at the academy, she had phoned him up, almost the second he broke the seal on his envelope to tell him that she had been accepted and was going. At least...that's what she tried to say, she was so excited that her voice came through more as a series of squeals and screams on the phone. He managed a small smile as he remembered telling her he was going too, even before he looked at his own acceptance letter. She was going, and that was enough for him to sign up for this too.

That was the only thing that mattered to him. In his heart, he had known that for him at least, what he felt for her had moved beyond friendship. He hadn't looked at her the same way ever since the night he had comforted her when she broke down in tears because some idiot jock in high school had laughed in her face when she asked him to the prom. He had sat with her for hours, as he had done many times before, holding her as she wept, and told her that he would take her. It had taken every penny in his bank account, and he still had to work a part-time job, but it was worth it just to stop her crying. It wasn't the prom though, it was that moment, sitting with her under a tree in her parents' yard, holding her in his arms that he fell in love with her. He had never dared risk telling her though...and now...now he would never get that chance.

"Kai." He heard someone say behind him. He looked around to see Damon standing behind him.

"What are you doing here Damon?" He asked. The Green Galaxy Ranger just sighed.

"It's three AM and the gate's locked." Damon reminded him. "I could ask you the same question."

"Go home Damon." Kai told him. "Leave me in peace."

"Kai, it's been a week, and you haven't been into work once." Damon told him. "Commander..."

"If the Commander has a problem with me taking some personal time, tell him he's welcome to fire me!" Kai snapped at him, cutting Damon off angrily as he started drinking more beer, sitting by the memorial marker dedicated to Kendrix's memory. Damon just sighed and knelt down with him.

"Kai, you're drunk." Damon stated.

"It's better than not being drunk." He replied, taking another swig. Damon looked to him.

"Kai...I know how you felt about her." Damon said sympathetically. "I can't imagine what seeing that did to you...but Kendrix was our friend too."

"Leave me alone Damon." Kai muttered.

"Kai, I'm not leaving you like this." He stated. "You can't..."

"Why can't I?" Kai asked him. "I'm an adult Damon! If I want to..."

"If you want to what? Wallow in self pity and waste away until you end up with a marker just like hers?" He asked. "Do you really think that's what she'd have wanted?"

"I guess we'll never know now." Kai answered. Damon reached across, snatching the bottle from him.

"Give it back Damon!" He demanded.

"Kai, for your own good..."

"I said give it BACK!" He yelled, swinging a punch at his best friend, but missing by a clear foot and face-planting straight into the ground. Damon just knelt with him as Kai broke down. "It's not fair Damon, I want her back!"

"I know you do." Damon replied as he held him closely. "We all do."

As he helped Kai get to his feet, he started to walk him back towards the gate where a couple of guards were waiting. They had been called when someone had reported someone climbing over the fence. Damon just looked to them.

"It's alright." He told them as he got to the gate. "I've got this."

They just parted and let him through, taking Kai home.

Noah snapped up as he finally came to, finding the other Rangers standing around him. He looked to them a little confused. Orion stepped forward.

"I...I called them when you passed out." He told him. "I wasn't able to wake you up."

He realised he was in the infirmary, and figured that one or more of them had to have taken him there. He just looked at them curiously as he saw some light coming in from a port hole.

"How...how long was I out?" He asked.

"About five hours." Emma told him. "Orion told us your morpher started glowing, and then...then you just passed out. Nothing we did could get you to come to."

She moved a little closer.

"It...it was a vision wasn't it?" She asked him. He just nodded in response.

"I've...I've never seen anyone react like that." Orion told him apologetically. "I was a lay preacher in my village for years, I've performed Communual Ceremonies for years, I've never..."

"It's alright Orion, I'm fine." Noah told him, holding his head. "I'm a little woozy, and it was...really something, but I'll be fine."

He turned, hanging his legs off the edge of the bench, and looked to Orion directly.

"Look, would you mind getting some of that tea?" Noah asked him. Orion just furrowed his brows.

"Noah?" He asked.

"Please, just...trust me." He told him. Orion looked a little concerned as he left, but as soon as he was out the door, Noah looked to the others.

"Noah, what are you up to?" Jake asked him.

"It's the tea, I'm sure of it." Noah told him. They all just looked a little confused. "Look, I started to have my suspicions after Emma's episode, but I think...I think the tea might just be what caused this."

"You think you were tripping?" Gia asked, flicking a thumb at the door, looking angry. "You mean Shiny Pants drugged you both?"

"I don't think it's like that, he might not even realise what he did." Noah told them. He drew in closer. "When he talked about a ceremony where he communed with his Earth Gods, it got me thinking. Some tribes had ceremonies where they would talk to their spirits and ask for guidance. A lot of them sometimes incorporated hallucinogens into their ceremonies. Fungus, mosses and herbs that..."

"So you really think we were tripping?" Emma asked him. He just shook his head.

"I don't know...it does seem like something else." He told them. "I just wanted to check out my theory before I told any of you...but this is part of Orion's religion, something he's believed in his whole life. I didn't want to tell him..."

"You didn't want to tell him that what he believes is down to him shrooming?" Jake asked. Noah just sighed.

"Something like that." He answered.

"So if it is a hallucinogen, why did you both see Rangers?" Gia asked. "Why does Orion keep seeing the Sixth Rangers?"

"Orion said he started seeing the Sixth Rangers when he got his morpher and key right?" Noah reminded them. "Well...the tribes that took on those ceremonies believed that the substances they used unlocked their minds, allowing them to see things that they otherwise couldn't."

"So you think that's what's happening?" Jordan asked. "You think the tea...?"

"I think it made us more receptive to the memory component of the Ranger keys than normal." He concluded. "I think...that's why we..."

"Why you saw what you did." Gia concluded. Noah just shook his head.

"No, it was so much more vivid than that." He told her. "I was in the memory of Kai, the Blue Galaxy Ranger, but it was more than just seeing it...I WAS Kai!"

"Come again?" Jake asked. Noah looked to Emma, who was the only other one that had experienced this, and understood all too well.

"I could feel everything he felt." Noah told them. "It was about a week after Kendrix died. He was...he was drunk, and...he was heartbroken. He was in love with her, and he watched her burn alive...it was like he had completely given up on life."

He looked to the others.

"I've never felt anything like that before." He told them. "But when I looked at that memorial, I felt like all I wanted was to join her, so that we'd be together and I could tell her..."

"She knew." Emma assured him with a little smile. "Believe me, she knew, and she felt the same way."

"So, why isn't Orion pretty much in a coma?" Jake asked. "You and Emma both passed out when you drank that tea."

"He said he's been taking part in these ceremonies his whole life." Jordan reminded them. "If he's been drinking that tea all this time, his body's probably built up a resistance to it. It won't have as marked an effect on him. That's probably why he just speaks to the Sixth Rangers instead of..."

Just then, Orion came back into the room, carrying some of his tea with him, at which the Rangers all stopped talking. He handed it to Noah, looking around them, having noticed them all falling silent.

"What?" He asked. "What is it?"

"I just...I really just wanted to test this." Noah told him. "I wanted to see what was in it."

"Just some mushrooms." He told them. "It's distilled from dried mushrooms we found growing on rocks."

They all looked a little uneasy as he said this. It suddenly made a lot more sense, but none of them wanted to say it. This was something deeply important to Orion, something he had believed in his whole life. They didn't want to take that away by saying that they thought some of his most spiritual experiences had possibly been hallucinations.

"I'm sorry guys." Orion repeated. "I never thought this would be dangerous to Earthlings. I've been drinking it most of my life, I thought..."

"It's alright." Emma assured him. "We're both fine, and know you'd never have given us something that you knew would harm us."

"But I think I'll stick to coffee." Gia told him. He just nodded his head.

"Hey, it's not for everyone right?" He asked. Noah turned back to them.

"Psilocybin." Noah said as he showed them his results. "The tea is made of psilocybin. The results of Emma's blood test came back, and they confirm she had a significant quantity in her blood stream."

"Great." Jake replied. "Um...why don't we pretend we don't all know what that means?"

"Psilocybin is a family of mushrooms with certain...properties." Emma told them. Her love of nature meant she had a pretty extensive knowledge of plants. In addition to that, while she had never been part of that scene, a lot of the people she had been on protests with were no stranger to certain recreational substances. "You've probably heard them more commonly referred to as magic mushrooms."

"Magic mushrooms?" Orion asked her. She looked to him and nodded.

"Some people on Earth take them too." She told him. She realised that this was a way of explaining it to him without making it seem like they were demeaning his faith. After all, she didn't need to explain that people sought visions they got from them for different reasons than he did. "They take them to experience visions like you do."

"OK, so...it's safe?" He asked. "For Earthlings?"

"It...kind of is." Gia said, sucking her teeth. "They're still toxic. The tea you gave them, I'm guessing you made it pretty strong."

"I guess so." He said with a shrug. He never really thought about it, it was just something he had always done. "I just made it the way the village Preacher taught me."

"OK, so...now we know what caused this, we can all go back to...you know...not passing out and freaking everyone out." Jake answered. As he looked to Noah and Emma, he could see them exchanging a look that made him uneasy. He always hated that look Noah got, it was the one he got all through their childhood, usually before performing some experiment that invariably ended up with him having no eyebrows for a couple of weeks, or explaining to his mom why his skin was now orange. "Noah, I know that look..."

"Guys...maybe we've stumbled onto something we could use here." Noah suggested. "This allowed us to access the Ranger memories in the keys in a way we've never been able to before."

"Noah, you were unconscious for FIVE HOURS!" Gia reminded him. "You really want to risk that?"

"Now we know the risks...maybe we can figure out a safe way to use this." Noah told them. "I can analyse the tea. I can do some calculations, figure out what should be a safe but effective dose."

"Noah..."

"We can hook ourselves up, have our vitals tracked to make sure we're in no danger." He suggested. "We can make sure someone's around just in case..."

"Noah, this is crazy, why would you want to risk this?" Jake asked him. Emma just looked to them.

"We learned a lot about Kai and Kendrix in only one vision." Emma told them. "Guys...they aren't even on this planet. We've never met them, no one we've met has even talked about them and we learned a lot from this."

"If we could control it, if we could get Orion to lead us in a ceremony..."

"Wait, me?" Orion asked.

"You know the most about this." Noah told him. "Maybe some of the meditation techniques you use are why you can control what you see...why the Past Rangers were able to teach you more useful things."

"Noah..."

"There's no telling what we can learn from this." He told them. "I really think this could be worth it."

Gia looked to him and Emma. She wasn't convinced this was a great idea, but as she was about to answer, Emma looked at her in a pleading way.

"Emma...that's not fair." Gia told her. "Put the puppy face away!"

Emma ignored her. She knew that Gia could never resist when she did that. It was a sure fire way to get her to go along with whatever her latest crusade was. She just sighed, defeated.

"Orion, how much of this stuff do you have?" She asked.

"I found a huge batch in the woods in Briarwood." He told her. "I gathered enough to last for a while."

She looked to Noah, pointing a finger in his face.

"For the record, I still don't think this is a great idea." She told him. "Do your tests, make sure this is safe. If anything happens..."

"I'll take full responsibility." He assured her as he turned took the tea and headed for his room. "I've got some work to do."

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, and for this author's note. I just wanted to explain the reason for the delay is because I really, REALLY wanted to think carefully about how I was writing this for obvious reasons.

As mentioned, several tribes HAVE used hallucinogens in their spiritual and religious ceremonies for exactly the reasons described, and while I liked the idea of the spiritual element of such a ceremony, I was always painfully aware that including this factor could be interpreted as an endorsement of drug use, which is not my intention at all.

In no way am I saying run out and try hallucinogens, and I really was trying to find a way of not seeming like I'm encouraging it. There are a lot of dangers involved in taking any form of drug. I also wanted to say a little about the dangers of foraging. In the context of this story, Orion is an experienced forager who has a lot of knowledge and experience. People spend a long time learning to forage for a reason. There are very tiny, subtle differences between what will taste good in a salad, what can make a good home remedy, and what will send you to the hospital! In short...not a good idea to just pick berries and mushrooms and start eating them!

Finally, to end on a light-hearted note, I wrote the Kai part, because I have always been a huge lover of the Kai/Kendrix pairing. Watching Lost Galaxy when I was younger, I always felt like he felt that way about her, it was a vibe that I maintain to this day. Thanks for your patience, and hopefully I'll have more soon.


	3. A Guided Ceremony

On the Armada Command Ship, Prince Vekar was back in the Holo Trainer when Lavira came to him. She had to over-ride the security lock in order to enter. When she got inside, she was astounded to see Argus attacking the Prince, the blade of his sword flashing through the air as he went after his Lord.

What was most surprising though was that the Prince...actually seemed to be coping with the attack. He was on the defensive, Argus moving far more quickly, his technique superior to the Prince's, but whereas she had seen other foes carved to ribbons beneath Argus' blade in short order, the Prince was able to keep his composure and stop himself falling victim. Argus had been a strong warrior before, but after Lavira's modifications, he was arguably one of the strongest warriors in the galaxy, one that had yet to find an equal.

Finally, Argus managed to get through the Prince's guard, the tip of his sword slicing into his side, spraying blood on the floor as Vekar fell to his knees. Argus shook the blood before replacing it in his scabbard.

"Your Highness!" Lavira screamed as she ran to his side, cradling him in her arms.

"You over-stretched yourself." Argus told the prince matter-of-factly. "You put yourself off-balance, and left yourself open to my attack."

"You harmed the Prince!" Lavira screamed at Argus. "You are his bodyguard!"

"He asked me to train him. He cannot train against an opponent who will not fight him to the best of their abilities." Argus told her. He looked to the Prince. "His wound is superficial, he will be fine."

"You...you maniac!" She screamed. "You are programmed..."

"It's fine Lavira." Vrak told her, starting to get to his feet. She helped him up, but he pulled away from her as he stood upright. "You heard him, the wound is superficial. Stop fussing!"

Lavira could hardly believe what she was hearing. This was the same Prince that only months before had acted like it was the end of the world when the Blue Ranger hit him in the face, and seemed to react as though he was losing his arm when he was clipped by a stray blaster shot.

"What are you doing in here anyway?" He asked her. "I told you that I was..."

"My lord, your new armour is ready." She told him. He smiled as he heard her say this. Although he had been motivated to start training when his girth meant his old armour no longer fit him, intent on getting back to his original weight. However, as his training intensified and he became stronger, and more importantly, larger, it became clear that it would no longer fit him anyway. He had tasked her with creating new armour worthy of him, ready for when he returned to his position in command.

Lavira never thought she would see the eventuality that she would want to see Vekar back, but she had grown more and more suspicious of Damaras' motives. She knew that like her, he had been deeply cynical of Vekar's suitability to rule, and for a long time he had even believed like her that the best thing for The Armada's conquest was if the Prince was kept safely as far away from any important decisions as possible. However, that being said, she still appreciated that the Prince was the heir to the empire. He was of the Royal Bloodline, and would rule over it all in time. They knew that claiming planets was the difficult part, keeping them in line tended to not require much effort by comparison, and so they had hoped that by keeping him away from the war, they could claim the planet before he could do any harm.

However, Damaras' behaviour as of late just seemed to be nonsensical from a tactical point. He was making no progress whatsoever with the conquest. Indeed, many of his plans seemed to be almost foolish and detrimental, leaving the Prince in a weaker position than before, almost like he WANTED the prince to fail. She had been hoping that Vekar would return to his rightful place for some time now, fearing the direction Damaras was taking them. Being cynical about how suitable the Prince was to lead was one thing, actively seeking to depose a member of the Royal Family...that was quite another.

"Argus, let's call it a day for now." Prince Vekar told him. "I want to get cleaned up and see this armour."

"As you wish your Highness." Argus said, bowing to him. "I will prepare your next meal."

"Oh, I can't wait." Prince Vekar responded sarcastically. Argus' idea of what he considered a 'meal' was more than a little subjective. He only really concerned himself with nutrition, not with flavour or texture...or even basic palatability! Vekar had been on a steady diet of what could only be described as health shakes made from a variety of vegetables and protein mixtures for weeks now...he could hardly remember what it was like to receive a proper meal. "Come Lavira, show me this new armour."

The following day, on the Red Galleon, the team were all assembled in the main room as Noah came from his room, carrying his research notes and some of Orion's tea, while the others gathered waited. Orion had agreed to set up a Communion Ceremony in his bedroom, feeling more comfortable performing the ceremony there since that was where he did all of his praying. It was the closest thing he had to a...well, none of them were really sure what the Andresians considered a holy site, since most of their faith revolved around the earth that they didn't really build churches or temples per se, but it wasn't uncommon for villages to have a clearing or patch of land set aside for their ceremonies and prayer meetings. Having little option, Orion had adopted his room for that purpose.

"OK guys, I've spent all night figuring out the toxicity levels of these mushrooms." He told them. Jake held up a hand.

"Whoa, wait a minute, back up." Jake responded. "Toxicity? As in...they're poisonous?"

"Like most drugs, the effects of psilocybin are basically the body's reaction to a certain level of poisoning." Emma explained. While she wasn't really into that whole scene, being so into nature and involved in so many protest groups, she had met more than a few people who were no strangers to such things. Some members of the groups she had been part of would think nothing of dabbling in weed, mushrooms or other substances for recreational purposes. She knew a little about it as a result. "It's...reasonably safe as long as the dose isn't too high."

"I've been spending all night with the calculations." Noah told them. "I should be able to figure out what dose shouldn't be harmful for someone of our bodyweight..."

"Should?" Jake asked. "OK, that really doesn't fill me with a whole lot of confidence dude."

"I have to say, I'm with Jake on that one." Gia answered. "But if you're determined to do this, I guess the best thing we can do is make sure we don't put ourselves at more risk than we need to. We can't have the whole team going under, not while we still have Vrak and Vekar out there. Two of you can go in, the rest of us will stay...unimpaired in case one of them shows up."

She looked around the room.

"So, any volunteers?" She asked.

"I guess since it's my idea, and I'm asking you to trust my calculations, it's only fair I take the chance." Noah answered. "So...who else trusts my judgement?"

"Well, I haven't been able to do much..."

"Uh...sorry Jordan." Noah interrupted him. "I appreciate it, but my calculations are based on human physiology."

"Oh, come on...!"

"I'm serious Jordan, half your DNA is Eltarian." Noah reminded him. "I've got no idea how this could affect you. I don't want to risk it."

"We appreciate the offer, but Noah's right." Gia told him. "So, any other volunteers?"

"I could always..."

"Emma, you've already been under once." Gia told her. "Last time, you woke up the whole ship!"

"It's my decision!" Emma protested. Noah then held up a hand.

"Um...there's something I just thought of." Noah told them. "The main thing we want to find out is where the Dino Thunder keys are right?"

"Yeah?" Emma asked. "So?"

"Well...they didn't have a Pink Ranger." He informed her.

"What?" She asked. She knew that not every team of Rangers had a Pink Ranger, in fact the only three colours that had been on every team were Red, Blue and Green. Emma and Jake had, in their time, adopted a couple of surrogate Ranger designations when they morphed into other teams. "Surely there's some other..."

"In fact, they were one of the smallest teams, they only had five members, and one of those was a Sixth Ranger." Noah told her. Jake just furrowed his brows, and started making gestures with his hands like he was trying to figure something out. Noah rolled his eyes. "Don't overthink it Jake, it's just a name...but the Dino Thunder White Ranger Key is tied to Orion's morpher, and we already have it."

"So?" Emma asked. Noah just looked to her, at which her eyebrows shot up. "You mean...you don't think I have a Dino Thunder Key?"

"Well..."

"But I LOVED that team! They were one of my favourites!" She screamed. Noah just shrugged.

"We don't know how this works, so we need the people with the closest connection to the team in question." Noah told her. "We know they had a Red, a Blue and a Yellow, and Jordan can't go in..."

"Not to mention I'm the captain, so I'm needed out here." Gia said. They all looked at her. "What? I am! I'm..."

"You're pulling rank?" Jake asked her. She had made no secret of the fact that she really didn't like this idea. She just huffed.

"Look, I'm in charge of the ship, and I can't very well lead you in battle if I'm off in La La land chasing a bunch of past Rangers now can I?" She asked. They all then looked to Jake, who threw his hands up.

"Oh come on!" He yelled. "They didn't have a Green Ranger!"

"No, but they DID have a Black Ranger." Noah reminded him. "And you've been Black before..."

"Come on, really?" He asked. They all just stared at him.

"Look, two sets of eyes are better than one." Noah told him. "Please Jake, I promise if you do this..."

"You said the same thing before I ended up with no eyebrows in third grade!" Jake protested. As he looked around the room, he realised that they weren't going to be swayed. He eventually just submitted to the fact that the decision had been made for him. "Fine!"

"OK, I'll just hook some sensors up first." Noah told him, beginning to look out some equipment. "This'll transmit our vitals to the computer in here. It'll keep track of things and make sure we don't get into any danger."

He looked to the others.

"The system is calibrated to make sure our vitals stay within safe levels." Noah told them. "If you hear an alarm...well...you get the idea." Noah told them. He finished hooking up the sensors on Jake. "So, are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess." Jake replied with a shrug. With that, they both went into Orion's room, where he had finished setting up for the ceremony. He sat on the floor, on a cushion and beckoned them to do the same.

"Alright Noah, do you have the mixture?" Orion asked him. Noah just nodded, and placed the tea down on the hot plate in the middle of the room. Orion took his own cup that he had already prepared. He looked to the two of them, holding out his cup. They both held out their cups, returning the gesture, at which he took a long slug, downing the solution. Noah did likewise, but Jake was a little more reluctant. He watched as Orion put down his cup and closed his eyes, preparing to begin.

"OK guys, just try to relax." He told them. "Focus on your breathing, keep it nice and shallow and relaxed. The more relaxed you are, the easier it'll be to travel the visions."

"Um...alright." Jake replied, downing his tea as he saw Noah also preparing for the meditation. "Here goes nothing."

Back on The Armada Command Ship, Prince Vekar was standing in Lavira's lab, using a device to close the wound in his side as she went to fetch his armour.

As she came back in, she found him, stripped to the waist, sealing the wound with barely any trace of a whimper. She found her eyes drawn to the impressive musculature he had built up in his months of training, and her thoughts drifted away for a moment. She was only brought back to reality by a clatter as he threw the device onto a work bench.

"Lavira?" He asked her. "I asked you if the armour is ready!"

"Uh...yes, yes, of course, just this way." She told him. Prince Vekar followed her into another room. He smiled as he saw the outfit before him, mounted on a frame to hold it up and display it for him.

Lavira had truly outdone herself. It was the same design as his old armour, and she had even fashioned the new robes to go with it. He ran his fingers across its smooth surface, admiring the craftsmanship.

"Lavira..."

"I've perfected a new technique of smithing the metal I bought from a trader." She told him. "It's just as strong, but I managed to reduce the weight by 67 percent."

He was continuing to admire the armour and the robes. He didn't say anything, causing her to grow nervous. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Um...I thought that it would help your manoeuvrability and flexibility in battle. The robes are made of a special silk I developed that should help dissipate heat attacks..."

"This is magnificent!" He declared. "Truly you have created something worthy of my conquest!"

She watched as he started to unfasten his trousers.

"My Lord...?"

"Help me put it on!" He told her. "Quickly now!"

Lavira just gulped as he threw his pants across the room, before standing before the armour, waiting for her to begin. She went to the armour, staring into the reflective surface of the breast plate, catching sight of him as she started to unfasten the clasps.


	4. A Sceptical Journey

This is stupid! That was all Jake could think. Here he was, sitting crouched on a cushion, surrounded by candles, thinking about...of all things...BREATHING! It was something he was always sceptical about, but as time went on, it was feeling more and more ridiculous.

He opened his eyes, despite what he had been told, and looked aside to Noah, who seemed to be swaying a little bit. Noah was a lot bigger than he had been, and a lot more muscular than a year previously, but he was still smaller than Jake, so he wasn't especially surprised that the tea affected him more quickly. Jake was no angel. He wasn't exactly into anything bad, but in his time with the soccer team, he had been at a few parties and seen some stuff he was sure his parents would freak out about. He was well aware of what was a particularly effective hangover cure, and he had seen some of the guys in a state that would likely have been frowned upon.

He could hear Orion chanting something, saying something in a barely audible whisper in his native tongue, with a book open before him. The fact that Orion didn't have his eyes open to read the pages was a good indication that he was intimately familiar with the ceremony, to the point that he didn't actually NEED the book to know the sermon he was reading. While he had a somewhat passing relationship with his Judaism, he had been observant of the main holidays and had eaten Kosher up until he had become a Corsair Ranger. He had to admit there were some passages of the Torah he could probably recite by heart, but he was always aware that Orion's faith was on a different level. He could feel a tingle in his body, and knew the tea was taking effect.

His vision was also slightly distorted, and he was a little more sluggish than he was used to. He had been at a few parties where guys were smoking certain...things...and a little careless about doing so, so he wasn't exactly unaccustomed to being a little impaired. He had to think that in some ways he felt sorry for Orion. None of them had told him that this ceremony, something that was a huge part of the faith he believed in for his whole life was likely able to be explained with simple chemistry, that he had basically just been high when he had some of the most important experiences of his life in a spiritual sense.

The heat in the room was stifling. At Orion's insistence, the door was closed, and the candles in the room were producing a surprising heat. He pulled off his t-shirt, throwing it aside as he started to breathe more deeply. He could see Noah's head slumping forward, and smiled. He was gone...he wondered what he was seeing, and had to think that all of this was really...

Suddenly, he found himself in a place he didn't recognise, and he was fighting for his life! He was walking down the street, on his way home from school. It was his first day at a new school, and he wasn't particularly familiar with the city's streets. He could tell when he turned down this alley that it was an access for garbage trucks and suchlike, but seeing a mini-mart he recognised as being near where his parents' house was, he continued onward despite his initial reservations when all of a sudden, he was surrounded. He had never seen anything like these creatures, and his heart was hammering at a thousand beats a minute, but the second the first one touched him, without even thinking, his instincts took over.

He didn't think, not for an instant. Every one of his moves came as second nature, like when he was on the soccer pitch. Jake prided himself on his fighting since he had become a Ranger, but what he was doing now was light-years beyond what he had trained to do.

As the last of his opponents fell, he looked around as the creatures disappeared in a flash of light. Jake had seen such a thing more times than he could count by now, but in his heart, in his mind, he could feel confusion.

"What was that?" He asked, starting to straighten himself out and look for his back pack. Just then, an ill wind whipped up through the street, and he looked up and saw a figure in dark clothing standing on top of a nearby building cackling loudly. The street became alive with lightning and he found himself frozen to the spot, unable to move. The last thing he remembered was the witch informing him he would now be her Green Ranger.

In the main room, Gia was pacing as time ticked by. She was starting to grow impatient as she waited on word from inside the room.

"This is taking forever." She muttered. "How are they doing?"

"Well...Jake's gone into cardiac arrest since you asked thirty seconds ago." Jordan replied sarcastically, patting the computer. "The alarm is just on the blink."

"Really?" Gia asked him. "You want to...?"

"Guys!" Emma called out, bringing them both around. All of them were worried about this experiment, and nerves were beginning to get frayed. Gia and Jordan genuinely did care about each other, it was just their way of coping, combined with the fact they normally deliberately grated on each other. Unfortunately right now, instead of just taking it in good humour, it was getting dangerously close to them descending into an actual fight. "Come on, this isn't doing any good."

"They've been in there for ages!" Gia repeated. "How long is this going to take?"

"I...I really don't know." Emma admitted. She was the only one in the room that had experienced one of those visions. "I...I don't really understand how the work. They just...come at a time that suits them I suppose."

Before Gia could answer though, there was an alarm. Gia immediately checked the computer and looked to the scans. She looked more than a little put out as she saw it.

"It's an Armada signature." She informed them. "It's the Alamo."

"The Alamo?" Jordan asked. "What do they want in Texas?"

"Well, at a guess I'd say they're just trying to get our attention." Emma answered as she pulled up some footage. They all watched as they saw a legion of X-borgs and bruisers surrounding the historic fort, with Prince Vekar standing in full view of the camera, with Lavira at his side, and Argus at the other. He just looked into the camera.

"Rangers, I trust you have enjoyed this little...reprieve...I have been gracious enough to grant you." He began. Jordan just looked to the girls.

"Granted us?" He asked. "Didn't he spend weeks pouting in his bedroom comfort-eating because you guys broke his toys?"

Gia just nodded in response, before turning her attention back to the screen.

"I grant you one hour to show up here." He told them, before gesturing to the fort. They could see it was surrounded, and some tourists were inside, screaming as they were being pinned inside by blasts any time one of them got too close to the wall. "Otherwise, another 189 people will meet their end to hopeless odds here."

As the signal cut off, they all looked among each other.

"So...he knows his history at least." Jordan commented. He just saw the way Gia was looking at him. "OK, not the point."

"What do we do?" Emma asked. Gia thought about it for a moment before answering.

"We don't have much of a choice." She reminded them. "Tensou, you're in charge of keeping track of the others."

"But..."

"We don't have a choice; we'll need every hand we can get." Gia told him. "Come on guys, we're heading for Texas."

Jordan just smiled.

"I wish I had a racoon skin hat." He commented as he prepared for action. "I always did love Davy Crockett."

In his vision, Noah found himself bathed in a bright light, and couldn't see what was going on. He stood, with others by his side as others assembled before them. He could feel a familiarity with this place, kind of the same way he had in Gosei's mountain. He suddenly saw something he recognised as a man in red, with long, dark hair stepped forward into view.

"TJ, I wouldn't be here today, if it wasn't for your courage and strength." The man in Red announced. "That is why I am choosing you, as the new Red Ranger."

Noah recognised the man, not just from Troy's Martial Arts magazines, but from his research into previous Ranger teams. This was Tommy Oliver, the man who had been a Ranger more times and for longer than anyone else on Earth. He was a legend in his own right, but only within the Brotherhood of the Rangers. To the rest of the world, he had his own accomplishments that made him extraordinary. He was in the International Karate Hall of Fame, he had won numerous tournaments, and he was apparently a teacher that had won numerous awards, but most of the world had no idea what he had done for them all.

The meeting moved on, and the people started to disperse, to decompress after everything. Noah had heard about this, apparently the Turbo Team had changed part way through their tenure. The former Zeo Rangers had been released to go on to the next stage of their lives beyond Ranger business, and had named successors to take their place. He watched as they all went off to the main room where refreshments had been prepared. The old team were going to hand off to the new generation and advise them on the journey ahead, while the new team were planning to wish their predecessors a fond farewell.

As he was getting down off the podium though, Noah noticed something odd. Tommy wasn't going with them. He was heading in another direction entirely. He saw the former Red Ranger open a door that he wasn't even aware was there, before heading outside. Noah hopped down the steps, and ran to the door, heaving it open.

He was struck by how heavy the door was, and how tall it was. He found his curiosity passed as he got outside, into the desert beyond the Command Centre walls, and saw Tommy sitting there, looking up to the night sky. He started to make his way over. As he got there, he noticed that Tommy was remarkably tall, and...big. The former Red Ranger looked around and saw him, and just turned away.

"Shouldn't you be inside with the rest of your team Justin?" He asked. Now it made sense...Noah and the team had met Justin in Rio months ago. He had told them that he was only 12 when he had joined the Turbo Rangers. He made his way round a rock, sitting beside Tommy.

"Well, shouldn't you be in there too?" He asked. "I mean...we are your team."

"Not anymore." Tommy sighed. Noah felt something from him as he said this. He moved a little closer.

"Tommy, we'll always be YOUR team." He assured him. "You were the one..."

"I'm the one being put out to pasture." He interrupted Justin as he looked to the stars. "She said all that stuff about us having lives beyond our Ranger days, of us doing other things but...but what?"

"Didn't you say you were on your Uncle's racing team?" Justin asked him.

"Please, do you know what it takes to make a career in that kind of thing?" He asked. "Sure, I love being on the team and I love driving, but realistically I've got what? Maybe five years? Some of the guys I'm up against have ALREADY got that kind of experience behind them. I'm just starting out!"

Justin moved a little closer as Tommy started pulling up some plants from between the rocks.

"Besides, if I'm honest...it's a hobby anyway. Sure I love it, but doing this every day for the rest of my life? To spend my whole life studying car parts and analysing race courses? It's...it's not for me."

"So you don't race forever." Justin stated. "You graduate tomorrow; you've got a whole load of options you could explore. You and Kat..."

"Kat and I called it a day." Tommy informed him. He felt astounded to hear that. They were always rock-solid. "She's really into this dancing thing, and London is so far away...we figured it was for the best. Try not to tell the others though...not tonight at least. There's no reason to spoil the party."

"Well...it's not like you're short of options." Justin reminded him, trying to get the subject off of his break-up. It seemed like a lot of this was happening at once for Tommy. "College..."

"College?" He asked. "Go to college and study what? You know me, what exactly am I going to study? It's not like they have career courses in Karate!"

"Well...you want to open a dojo, perhaps a business course..."

"Staring at sheets of numbers all day? I'd go insane inside a week!" Tommy told him. "I just...everyone's telling me that I have this life to live, to do other things but what was so wrong with what I had?"

"Tommy..."

"Dimitria never even asked me if I WANTED to retire!" He reminded him. "She just suddenly decided that now after all these years, all of a sudden she says 'Oh, by the way, thanks but there's the door...find something else to do'...what exactly am I going to do Justin?"

"I...I don't know." He replied honestly. "Maybe if you talk to Dimitria and TJ..."

"I can't do that, he's already got the morpher." Tommy replied. "If I take it away from him now, what are they all going to think of me?"

"They're going to think that you're showing the same determination to do everything you can for this shit that made you a Ranger in the first place." Justin replied. Tommy gave him a withering glare, at which he realised he had sworn. "Sorry...but you know what I mean."

"I appreciate it Justin, but it's just...I've done this for so long...I always told myself I wouldn't be doing it forever, but now I'm finally seeing the end of it...I just can't help asking...what now?"

He tried to find an answer, but found himself unable to say anything of note. As he was about to go inside to leave him alone when he accidentally kicked something, and looked down to see what it was. He bent down, picking up a strange rock, seeing that it was a fossil, one of some kind of sea creature, the shell-shape distinctive in the rock. The desert was full of them, something none of them had really thought about too much to be honest...they'd all been too busy and kind of taken where they were for granted. He went back, presenting it to Tommy.

"What is that?" He asked, taking it from him, before looking to it. "Is that...a trilobite?"

He looked between Justin and the fossil for a moment, smiling.

"Billy used to talk about this stuff all the time." Tommy told him. "He used to bring this stuff back to the lab all the time. I have a ton of these in my bedroom..."

"Given where you started, I guess it's no surprise you like dinosaurs." Justin remarked. "Maybe...that's something you should consider?"

"Dinosaurs?" Tommy asked him. "Do I look like an archaeologist?"

"The study of dinosaurs is Palaeontology actually." Justin corrected him. "My dad has a colleague that runs scholarships with Stone Valley University...he could always arrange a meeting."

"Let me think about it." Tommy answered, looking at the fossil. "Thanks Justin."

With that, he left to go back into the party, leaving Tommy considering the fossil in his hands, thinking about the path his life would take now he was no longer a Ranger.

In the real world, the Red Galleon was approaching Texas, making its way through the clouds. Thanks to their cloaking device, they didn't really need the cover, but they still made a habit of staying out of sight when they could. On the deck, Gia was waiting as Emma and Jordan came to her side.

"We're nearing the drop zone." Gia told them.

"I can see them from here." Noah commented. "So...what's the plan?"

"We can't risk initial shelling to thin them out; they'd go into the fort." Gia told them. "We don't have much choice, we need to head for the centre and drop in on them."

"Well, I never was one for subtlety." Jordan said with a smile.

They brought the ship down, sailing overhead as they came closer, only bringing it into view as they got close to the fort. They all rappelled down, landing in the space between the Armada Forces and the front gate to the fort.

"Hey Vrak! I thought you were sulking!" Gia called out. He just smiled.

"Brave words when you are so...shorthanded." He replied. "Lavira...forgive me, all these humans look the same to me but...isn't that one different?"

"The Red Ranger?" Lavira asked. She strained to see, but she noticed that while he looked similar, he was different to the one they had seen before. She smiled. "So, you have a new Red Ranger? I suppose Lafitte was some use after all!"

Emma was about to rush her, but Gia grabbed her, holding her back. She looked to Vrak.

"Alright, we're here, just like you wanted." Gia told him. "Let the tourists go, if you want a fight, we're here!"

"Oh, I want a fight alright." Prince Vekar told her. "I just wanted to put you all on notice...the games have ended."

He drew a sword and stepped forward, gesturing to Argus to stay back.

"So, which of you will it be?" He asked. The three Rangers just stood, looking more than a little confused.

"Wait, what?" Emma asked. "You want to fight? YOU want to fight?"

"Yes."

"With one of us?" Gia asked. "One on one?"

"Yes." Vrak reiterated. The three Rangers all looked to each other...before doubling over in laughter. Vrak felt his temper boiling over, but he remembered Argus' lessons, and knew he had to keep his head in the game. Jordan finally stood upright, wiping his eyes and pulling out his morpher.

"OK, this should be fun." Jordan replied, pulling out his morpher and turning into the Red Corsair Ranger for the first time. "Keep the engines on the Galleon running, this won't take long!"


	5. Prince Vekar's Duel

In a park, on a nice, warm summer's day, Jake was walking along next to a young man with long, dark hair. He was bouncing a soccer ball casually with one hand as they approached a soccer pitch. The stranger just turned towards him as they reached one of the goals.

"OK, it'll be sunset soon." He stated, rolling the ball towards the other guy. He flicked it up, catching it.

"Thanks for what you did today." The stranger told him. Jake just smiled.

"Hey, we all make mistakes." He assured him. "Was yours a little more serious than some? Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can give up, Carlos."

"I almost killed Cassie." Carlos answered dejectedly.

"Yeah...try not to do that again." Adam replied with a smile. "Believe me, if I had a nickel for every time one of us nearly took another's head off I'd have more money than Justin's dad."

"So, how do you deal with it?" Carlos asked him. "I'm not sure I can...when I look at Cassie, all I can see is what I did."

"Like I said, mistakes are exactly that." Adam continued as Carlos dropped the ball and passed it to him. He stopped it and returned it, beginning their drill. "It's not like you meant to do it, and Cassie's alright."

"No thanks to me." Carlos replied. Adam just stopped the ball with his foot, before looking to him.

"That's the thing, what we do is dangerous. Mistakes are always going to be made, and when we do...unfortunately the consequences are going to be pretty harsh." Adam assured him. "It's like...it's like when you're playing soccer. You have to take chances, and sometimes they pay off, sometimes they bite you in the ass."

"At least when I made mistakes on the soccer pitch, I was the only one that paid the price." Carlos said as Adam passed the ball back. Adam just smiled.

"So...there weren't ten other guys on your team?" He asked. "You've never accidentally hurt one of them? You've never cost them a game?"

Carlos just nodded in understanding, before kicking the ball back.

"Like I said, in this game, we have to make gambles too, they're just...a little bigger." Adam said sagely. "I mean...only a few hours ago I used a broken morpher! Do you think I didn't know what a huge risk that was?"

"It was a pretty huge gamble." Carlos agreed. "So, how do you get over the ones that don't work out? How do you make it up to your team?"

"You don't." Adam replied. "The fact is, there isn't time or any room in what we do to wallow in doubt and self pity. If you can get back up, then your mistake hasn't finished you. If all else fails...just remind yourself that next time it'll probably be one of the others screwing up and you on the sharp end of the consequences."

"That really isn't that comforting, you know that?" Carlos asked.

"It wasn't meant to be." He stated flatly. "Just know one thing. I was a Ranger for four years before Dimitria decided to pass on our powers. Was I surprised? Sure, was I annoyed? Kinda...it's like someone said 'hey, you've been doing a good job and you've done nothing wrong, but we want some random new guy to take your place, there's the door."

Carlos stopped the ball, looking to Adam as he admitted this. Adam just took a deep breath.

"But I had a choice, I could go and sulk about it, or I could do what I could to make sure that my replacement was the best person for the job." Adam said, coming over and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Believe me, if I didn't think you were up to it, I'd never have chosen you."

"We did kind of lose to Divatox." Carlos reminded him. Adam just laughed.

"Yeah, try not to do that again." He teased him. "But she screwed up too, she didn't finish the job, so you can make sure that mistake comes back to bite her."

"So...you all made mistakes?" Carlos asked him. Adam just nodded.

"Don't even get me started on the number of times we screwed up." He told him. "I could fill an encyclopaedia with Tommy's screw ups alone."

"Tommy, the Ranger legend." Carlos said with a smile.

"What do you suppose he's up to now?" Adam asked. "I heard he was still digging around for dinosaurs."

"He took up a post-grad position with Anton Mercer the last time I heard from him." Carlos informed him. "Mr Stewart put in a word for him with Mercer industries and they offered him a post-graduate scholarship." Adam started laughing.

"Seriously, the guy that lost his communicator on a daily basis is going for a PhD?" Adam asked him. "Now...now I've heard everything! Seriously, what makes him think he'll pull that off?"

"He could do pretty much anything he put his mind to." Carlos told him.

"Look, he's a nice guy and everything, but seriously, a rocket scientist...he ain't." Adam stated. "I'd bet a hundred bucks he'll get itchy feet and go back to digging before he gets his doctorate. He always was more of an outdoors type."

"OK, a hundred bucks then." Carlos answered, offering a handshake. Adam just took his hand and shook it, confirming the bet.

At the Alamo, Jordan started to pace around, back and forth before Vekar as the Prince stared at him. He looked to the army behind the prince and smiled.

"Are you really sure you wouldn't prefer to hide behind them?" Jordan asked him. He flicked his head in Argus' direction. "That one looks more my kind of size."

"Do you want to fight or not?" Prince Vekar asked him. Jordan just sighed and pulled out his pistol.

"Well...just remember that you asked for this." Jordan replied, pulling the trigger. The blast flew straight for Vekar, but in a move so fast none of them saw it, he swing his sword, deflecting the blast which went straight past him, smashing an X-borg behind him into oblivion. Jordan stood still, a little taken aback as he saw this. He eventually started making his way forward.

"So...you've picked up a couple of tricks?" He asked. Vekar just smiled as Jordan rushed him and swung his sword, clashing with Vekar's guard. Gia squinted as she noticed something as she and Emma watched the duel.

"Am...am I crazy, or does Vekar look bigger now?" She asked. Emma tried to get a good look, finding it difficult because the two were moving around so much. She remembered seeing Noah fighting him, and Vekar wasn't exactly a hugely imposing figure back then. Jordan was a fair bit bigger than Noah...but for some reason it seemed like the size difference between them wasn't exactly huge.

Jordan jumped into the air, both hands gripping the hilt of his sword, and swung a massive overhead strike, only for Vekar to block it. He felt the jolt all the way up his arms, feeling like he had connected with a brick wall. He could feel his hands stinging a little holding the sword. Vekar swiped the sword upwards, exposing Jordan's chest, and spun around, kicking him hard in the chest. Jordan tumbled away several feet, casting up dust as she did so, creating a cloud. He managed to slam a hand into the ground, springing himself back to his feet and looked to Vekar, who just had a smug grin on his face. Jordan smiled.

"You've been practicing huh?" Jordan asked.

"I trained under the finest swordsman in the galaxy." He responded, looking to Argus. Jordan just stood up straight.

"Well, let's just see what you've learned." He roared, rushing forward. Vekar dodged this way and that, parrying some of Jordan's strikes, before connecting with a hard elbow to the face. He slashed across his chest, powering up the blade as he did so, at which Jordan flew through the air, slamming into the side of the fort, the wall splintering a little under the impact.

"JORDAN!" Emma yelled as she and Gia were about to step in. Jordan just held up a hand.

"No! We gave Vekar our word!" Jordan reminded them. Gia looked to the fort, seeing some tourists still cowering inside...though some of them now seemed to be taking pictures and video. It always astounded her how people would sometimes take ridiculous risks for some pictures in the middle of a crisis situation. Jordan pulled himself back to his feet with the wall, struggling not to show how much the last blow had rattled him. He concentrated to get his breathing back to normal, and tried to shake off the cobwebs.

"OK, I'll give you that one...I didn't see that coming." Jordan told him. Vekar just smiled as he rested his sword over his shoulder.

"I get better!" He replied, beckoning Jordan with his fingers. Jordan pulled out his blaster, and broke into a run towards him.

He opened fire, hoping to keep Vrak pinned down and distracted with his blasts as he closed the distance. Vrak blocked them, and returned some power blasts of his own, some of which hit home, staggering Jordan as he ran. One of them sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Jordan, stop screwing around!" Gia yelled at him, realising that somehow, some way, Vekar had become a lot more dangerous than he had been before. Unfortunately, it looked like underestimating him was costing Jordan dearly.

Unfortunately for the Red Ranger, he had come to the same conclusion, and wasn't holding back as much as he tried to let on. He was trying to bring his A-game, but Vekar was unrelenting. Any time he started to get his bearings, it seemed like the Prince had some other new trick up his sleeve. As he started to get back to his feet, he looked up just in time to see Vekar running towards him, bringing his sword upwards far too quickly for him to respond. The blow from his powered up blade sent Jordan rocketing high into the air. Vekar launched himself upwards after him.

The girls could only watch in horror as he hacked away at Jordan ten, twenty, thirty times in the air, before a huge double-handed downward slash send Jordan smashing into the ground, making a massive crater as he landed. His suit sparked as his power levels started to fail him. Vekar landed on his feet a little way off, and stood up, smirking.

"That was the best you can do?" Prince Vekar asked him in a derisive laugh. "Why...if I'd known you were this easily defeated, I'd have done it myself ages ago!"

"Alright, you've made your point!" Gia screamed at him. "Now let these people go and we'll give you a real fight!"

"Oh, I haven't begun to make my point yet." Vekar told her. He looked to Argus, and pointed his sword at him. "This is for you my teacher!"

He adopted a stance, and started to power up his attack. Argus saw the stance and recognised it, realising what he was about to do. He held up a hand.

"Your highness, no!" He called out. Prince Vekar didn't hear the warning though.

"Solar Flare!" He called out as energy flared up around him, channelling into his sword. He started to create the flaming X in the air, summoning up one of Argus' strongest attacks, a technique he had seen him use many times to destroy entire armies.

The sword started to shake as he created the x though, and he was forced to grip the handle in both hands, struggling as it started to shake violently. The power flared up higher, and he felt the heat intensifying.

"What's happening?" He asked. "Argus...?"

Without warning, the flames started to shoot up his arms, and the prince started to scream in panic.

"Argus!" He screamed once more as he was blasted to the ground and stopped moving, but the fireball kept growing. Argus leapt forward, sweeping it up into the air, and out of the atmosphere where it exploded harmlessly in orbit.

"Your Highness!" Lavira cried out as she ran to his side, cradling his limp body in her arms. She quickly checked, finding that he was still alive, though his face was badly burned, and he was greatly weakened. Her new armour had done its job and saved his life, she was certain the blast would have killed him otherwise. "Argus, what happened?"

"The Solar Flare is one of the most powerful techniques in existence; it takes incredible strength and discipline to wield its power effectively." He told her. "The Prince over-reached his training."

"We have to get him to medical!" She yelled. "Get us out of here! You, cover our escape!"

In a bright flash, they teleported, taking most of the army with them, but leaving a hundred or so X-borgs and Bruisers behind to keep the Rangers busy. Gia and Emma snatched up their weapons.

"We can't let them get inside!" Gia told Emma. She hit a command on her morpher, which launched a volley from the Red Galleon, thinning out the ranks a little as they ran into battle.

In his vision, Noah found himself in a space ship, sitting in a room with his feet crossed over on the table. He felt like this place was familiar...but a little different, like it was a copy of somewhere he had been before. Everything looked the same, all the controls looked and functioned the same, but it just felt different.

He looked up as someone came into the room, carrying a large book with him. He recognised him right away as Tommy...but here he was older, and his hair was very different. He hadn't just cut it, meaning he no longer had the huge mullet he had about ten years after it was in fashion, now his hair was heavily gelled into spikes. He sat opposite Noah, not looking up from his book.

"Interesting reading?" He asked. Tommy just lifted the book a little, showing him the title.

"It'll take us a while to get to the moon." He reminded him. "Some of us do still have to study TJ."

"Hey, you were the one that decided to go on to post grad." He reminded him. "How is that Mercer guy anyway? I heard he's a bit of a nut job."

"He's eccentric, but he's a genius in his field." Tommy told him, looking to TJ and taking off his reading glasses, something he had started wearing recently. "You can't believe everything you read in The National Enquirer."

"Well...what about all that stuff he's supposedly doing with dinosaur DNA?" TJ asked him. "I heard he's buying up all the fossils, amber, bones and artefacts he can lay his hands on...the way I heard it he's spent enough to bankrupt himself a couple of times over."

"Do you really want me to dignify that with an answer?" Tommy asked him. "He's bought up a lot of stuff for his research, but I can guarantee you, he is NOT trying to create a real life Jurassic Park. That's just something some hack journalist said that got out of control."

"So what is he doing with all that DNA then?" TJ asked. Tommy just groaned.

"Do you know everything your boss does?" He asked in response. TJ just shrugged.

"I'm an accountant. I really don't have anything to do with corporate decisions." TJ explained. "As long as I make all the numbers balance, that's all I know about the company. Of course, you ARE his protégé."

"He has lots of post grad..."

"How many of them does he take in his private jet on digs all over the world and to his own private island?" TJ asked. "You and he aren't...you know...not that there'd be anything wrong with that...but..."

"I'm not gay TJ!" Tommy said as he slammed his book down. "You're not going to let this drop are you? If I tell you, will you shut up?"

"Scout's honour." TJ replied, holding up a salute. Tommy stroked the bridge of his nose.

"I have real trouble believing you were ever a Boy Scout TJ." Tommy answered. "OK, we're doing some research into harvesting DNA from dinosaurs and other extinct species, with a view to splicing it into existing species."

"Wait...you want to make mutant dinosaurs?" TJ asked.

"Not exactly." Tommy muttered.

"Tommy, isn't that kind of..."

"Look, it's nothing like that; we just see some real potential benefits." Tommy told him. "Most of those species existed on Earth despite climate shifts and plague and famine for millions of years. By comparison some of the more 'advanced' species died out after a few hundred thousand! There's real strength in some of that DNA. Can you imagine the benefits of a tomato plant that could grow in the Sahara? Or in the Antarctic?"

"I...I guess." TJ answered. "It's just...as soon as people talk about DNA and genetics; I just get a shiver up my spine. It gives me the heebie jeebies."

"Well, some other people feel the same way, that's why Anton doesn't advertise what he's doing on that island." Tommy told him. "And that's why you aren't going to tell anyone either right?"

Just then, the door opened and Jason entered. He patted Tommy on the shoulder.

"We're coming up on the moon's outer atmosphere." He informed them. "Come on Fearless Leader, you're up."

On the Red Galleon, in the main room, Gia and Emma helped Jordan into the room. He was being his usual, stubborn self, and insisted on walking, but they insisted on at least helping him into the infirmary. Tensou landed nearby as they sat him down on the bench.

"What happened?" He asked. "You look like you..."

"I look like I got my ass handed to me because I did!" Jordan told him, wincing painfully as Gia started to look at him. "Hey, injured man here!"

"If you'd just let me look at you, it wouldn't hurt so much." She told him. "So just sit still and shut up!"

"We managed to save those hostages." Emma told Tensou. "But Vekar had a little surprise for us."

"It looks like he's gotten kind of an upgrade or something." Gia added as she checked out Jordan's ribcage. "Jordan, I need to see if they're broken, stop fidgeting!"

"Wait...Vekar did this?" Tensou asked. "Vekar? As in...the guy that ran away screaming when Noah hit him...THAT Vekar?"

"I don't know what he's been doing up there, but I can tell you one thing, he definitely hasn't been wasting time." Jordan answered as Gia finally ended her examination. "He didn't just beat me; he wiped the floor with me. The only reason he didn't finish me off is because he messed up one of his own attacks."

"We lucked out with that." Emma agreed. "But we can't rely on him making mistakes like that again. We're running out of time."

"So what can we do?" Jordan asked.

"What can we do?" Gia asked, looking to Orion's room. "Hope that they know what they're doing and hurry up. If he shows up again, we'll need to throw everything we've got at him.


	6. Finding a Memory

"Get out of the way!" Argus snarled as he ran through the ship, his sword in his hand. Two bruisers were carrying the moaning, barely-conscious body of Prince Vekar as they ran through the corridors heading for the infirmary. Without breaking pace or slowing at all, he sliced down a couple of X-borgs who had the misfortune not to clear their way to the wall quickly enough.

Lavira was at the Prince's side, struggling to keep up with the robotic henchmen as they carried him. She struggled to hold in her tears. As they arrived, some of the medical droids were already waiting, and tools were already prepared for his arrival.

"Put him on the table!" Argus instructed quickly, gesturing the medical droids aside. The Bruisers dropped the Prince on the bench, still moaning and wailing as a result of the injury. It wasn't as though his troops weren't used to Vekar complaining about injuries, but generally when he did, they all knew he wasn't in any real danger. For the entirety of his life, the Prince had been protected, coddled. He was almost fully grown before he had even SEEN a battlefield, showing no real interest in combat beyond an unhealthy obsession with the destruction left in its aftermath. He had needed the infirmary more times in his campaign on Earth than pretty much any of the countless worlds he had conquered...although with the exception of when Noah broke his nose, it was debatable whether his most serious 'injury' was when he was lightly singed by a blaster...or he spilled his soup over his OWN lap. No one could deny that this though was much more serious.

In his arrogance, the Prince had been short-sighted enough to try and replicate Argus' Solar Flare attack. He had Jordan on the ropes, he had him down, dead to rights, and in his overconfidence, he had tried to make an example of him by unleashing the most powerful attack he could think of. Unfortunately, Argus had not yet instructed him properly in the use of the technique. He had sited it as one of the most powerful sword techniques in existence, and the Prince wanted to show the Rangers what he was capable of. Unfortunately, without the proper training, he had been unable to contain its power, and the blast had gone off prematurely.

His face was now charred, badly burned, as were his hands. His robes and his armour were scorched, but as a testament to Lavira's engineering skills, the damage was more cosmetic than anything else. None of them doubted that it was the armour that had saved Vekar's life.

"Get this armour off him." One of the droids stated as they rushed to his side, beginning to prepare tools. "Hook him up to life support, prepare an anaesthetic!"

"L...L..."

"Do not try and speak your Highness." Argus told him. "The medical droids will take care of you."

"His condition is severe." One of the medical droids told him. "We need room to work, all no-essential personnel should leave."

"Of course." Argus replied.

"Lavira." Prince Vekar croaked out. He raised his hand and started waving it about, like he was searching for something. "Lavira."

She approached the side of the bed, taking his hand, at which the medical droids just started working, obviously realising that they were not going to convince her to leave. She felt his grip loosen on her hand as the anaesthetic started to take effect, and the prince lost consciousness.

In his mind, Vekar re-visited the past, returning to his home planet. He was in the palace, sitting on a throne, watching some of his warriors battling for the amusement of the royal family.

The courtyard was a sight to behold, surrounded by statues, each of them depicting one of his ancestors, dating back almost five hundred generations. They were carved from stone, but decorated with glittering precious metals and jewels plundered from the worlds under The Armada's control. In the centre of the northern side of the arena, under an awning jutting out from the Royal Palace, were three thrones. The largest and most ornate was designed for the King, and the one to his right was meant for the queen. At present, both of these thrones were empty. The King was currently attending to other matters, while the Queen's throne had been empty now for many years. She was, in reality, a slave that had been taken by Vekar's father as part of a bargain with one of the worlds under his rule in return for his mercy when he invaded, only to find that the planet had no real financial or strategic value. She had been one of the most beautiful women on her home world, and a member of an ancient noble line, and so Vekar's father had taken her as suitable payment for clemency...at least, he had agreed it bought them SOME clemency. A couple of hours later, he had her home world blown to dust anyway.

Vekar didn't remember much about his mother. His father had grown displeased with her and had her executed for disloyalty when Vekar was only a child. He had her beheaded in front of Vekar's eyes in that very court yard for treason, to demonstrate to Vekar what it took to be a strong ruler.

Vekar sighed with boredom as one of his slaves continued to fan him, watching the warriors before him fighting for his entertainment. He genuinely didn't care much for such things. His only interest in warfare was in the pain and suffering of others. The warriors fighting for his benefit were members of his military, and so they were not actively trying to cause each other severe harm, thus denying the Royal Family military assets. Vekar much preferred it when they would use condemned criminals, slaves...or even unfortunate citizens who had done nothing wrong other than being too close to the palace when he or his father got the notion to see some bloodshed. As one of the warriors was dumped on the ground, he just let out a long sigh.

"Is that all?" He asked in an exasperated tone. Out in the middle of the yard, standing over the fallen, groaning forms of several defeated Elite Guard was Vekar. He drove his spear into the ground.

"I would like to see you do any better." He replied sharply. "Of course that would require you doing SOMETHING for yourself."

"Vrak, Vrak, Vrak...those grapes must be terribly bitter." Vekar taunted him. "What do you want? A parade in your honour because you did the job that was assigned to you?"

"Why don't you go and do...whatever it is you actually do all day." Vrak told him. "Leave the rest of us to go about conquering your empire."

"Do not take that tone with me you insolent bastard!" Vekar warned him as he got off the throne, coming up close to him, standing face-to-face with him. "Remember who you are talking to and show me the respect I deserve!"

"I know exactly who I'm talking to, LITTLE brother!" Vrak replied, drawing himself to full height, standing over him. "Why don't you try calling me that again?" Vekar just smiled arrogantly.

"Ooh, that sounds like I touched a nerve." He responded. "You may have been born first...but it isn't the ORDER of birth that is important. It is the QUALITY."

Vrak snatched his spear out of the ground, at which Vekar tried to retreat, tripping over his cloak and ending up on his butt. As Vrak levelled the blade towards him, they were interrupted by a massive, booming voice.

"Vrak!" The voice echoed. "Come to my chambers at ONCE!"

Vrak looked up, seeing a figure in a balcony some way up.

"Your Highness..."

"We have important matters to discuss regarding the Warstar!" The figure interrupted him. "Come to my chambers at once General Vrak."

"As you wish Your Highness." He replied bitterly, spinning his spear around so the point was facing a safe direction. He offered a hand to Vekar, pulling him to his feet.

"Best not keep father waiting." He told him. Vrak just sneered and stormed away, leaving Vrak to return to his throne.

"I tire of these bloodless exercises." He stated. "I wish to see some real pain! Bring in a prisoner!"

"Your Highness...currently there are no prisoners in the Royal Dungeon." One of his servants told him. "You had them all executed."

"Oh well." He replied with a shrug, flicking a thumb in his direction as he turned to one of his guard. "Torture this one!"

"Your Highness why?" He screamed as he was dragged into the courtyard. He just shrugged in response.

"I'm sure I'll think of something." He replied as his guards started to work the unfortunate servant over.

Back on the Red Galleon, Noah found himself in another vision. This time though, he was standing, playing pool in the Hartford Mansion.

He looked around, and while it took him a minute, he did realise where he was. He had been there once before...albeit the last time he was there Lafitte had significantly damaged the mansion when he went to kidnap Mack. He looked down to his arms, finding himself wearing an Overdrive uniform, trimmed in blue. He looked to a mirror and confirmed his suspicions as to his identity.

"Dax." He sighed. "Well, I hope this vision works out better for us than your last movie."

"Come on man, stop admiring yourself and take a shot!" He heard someone else saying in an impatient voice.

"Sorry Will, I was just..." As he turned though, he looked across, seeing the Black Overdrive Ranger...only it wasn't the one he had met months before. Standing there in Will's clothes was a very familiar face.

"Jake?" Noah asked. Jake leaned forward, staring at him. The fog started to lift, and he dropped the pool cue, standing up straight.

"Noah?" He asked. "But...wait...these clothes! The Hartford Mansion...is any of this real?"

"This...this is seriously freaky!" Noah replied. Just then, Rose stormed through the room, with Ronny following her closely.

"I don't CARE what you say Ronny, those socks aren't lucky, they're just disgusting!" Rose complained. "You're lucky I only put them in the laundry basket and not the fire place!"

"I've never lost a race since I started wearing them!" Ronny told her. "Besides, they're mine! What right do you have to touch my stuff?"

"It's my room too!" Rose told her. "I don't see why I should have to go into a room that smells like...like...Surstromming!"

"What the hell is that?" Ronny asked.

"It's a kind of fermented Scandanavian fish." Noah answered. "It's so smelly that it's banned on a lot of airlines."

"It's a kind of fermented Scandanavian fish." Rose answered, seemingly oblivious to Noah's answer. "It's so smelly that it's banned on a lot of airlines."

"You're saying my feet smell like rotten fish?" Ronny snapped.

"Well if the shoe fits!" Rose yelled back.

"Guys, calm it down." Jake stated. Again, the girls didn't seem to even notice them.

"Well, you won't have to smell them anymore, because with the newbies around we're not Rangers anymore!" Ronny told her.

"Then I guess there are SOME good things about all of this." Rose responded. Jake and Noah just looked to each other and shrugged, not knowing what was going on between them. While they had met Rose and Ronny before, they hadn't actually talked to them a great deal about their Ranger days, so they didn't know much about what actually happened at the Hartford Mansion. Ronny suddenly turned, glaring at Jake.

"Oh, what a surprise, you're sticking up for HER!" She yelled.

"Uh...I didn't say a word." Jake replied.

"Come on, do you think we're that dumb? Everyone knows you two have been sneaking off to suck face for months!" Ronny responded, making Jake more confused than ever.

"Uh...OK?" He replied. He looked to Noah and just twirled a finger by his temple indicating that he thought Ronny was nuts.

"That...that's none of your business!" Rose screamed. "Ugh, I think I'll miss you least of all! I'm going to pack!"

With that, she stormed off to her room. Jake and Noah just looked to each other.

"Who asked you?" Screamed at them, before storming off too. Jake just looked more confused than ever.

"I never said a word!" He replied.

"But...Will probably did!" Noah said as he realised what was going on. Jake just looked confused.

"OK, mind running that by me again?" Jake asked.

"We're in a memory right?" Noah reminded him. "So things here have already happened! That means that people all say and do the things they did at the time!"

"But...we didn't." Jake replied.

"No, we're here in the roles of Will and Dax." Noah explained. "We're connected to them because they were the Overdrive Blue and Black Rangers right?"

"I...guess." Jake responded. "So everyone else is reacting like they did back in the day?"

"It looks that way." Noah told him.

"So why do we not just follow the memories like the other ones?" Jake asked him. "Why are we able to see each other?"

"I think...I think maybe the meditation is having an effect on letting us guide things now." Noah told him. "So we can see what happened here, but everyone will react to us like they did to what Will and Dax said and did at the same time."

"My head hurts." Jake moaned.

"The only question is, what are we here to see?" Noah asked. Just then, they heard something from the next room.

"Seriously, he's actually a doctor?" They heard someone say.

"Yes." A female voice replied.

"And...he doesn't just call himself that?" He pressed on as Jake and Noah went to the door. "He doesn't just call himself that, like how Colonel Sanders wasn't a real Colonel?"

"He got his PhD, I saw it on the wall when I helped him clear out his basement!" The girl told him. They could only see her from behind, seeing the back of a dirty-blonde head over the couch as an older, Asian guy was pacing.

"I saw it too." Another girl stated. They recognised Tori, who was sitting, drinking a bottle of Powerade as she texted with one hand. "That guy has a LOT of junk in that basement."

"Tori?" Noah asked.

"That guy...I was that guy!" Jake called out. "That's Adam Park!"

"God damn it, I owe Carlos a hundred bucks!" Adam muttered as a guy in a strange uniform, trimmed in Red came in. He was carrying a plate, piled high with buttered toast. Adam took a few slices off it.

"Come on, why do you have such a hard time believing Dr O is a doctor?" The girl with her back to them asked.

"It's just...I guess I never thought about him doing stuff like that. He was totally different in High School." Adam answered.

"Well, considering the fact he was partially responsible for creating a bunch of dinosaurs that almost destroyed the world...that might not have been the best thing." Tori chuckled.

"So says the girl that almost killed me because some guy in a Lucha Libre mask brainwashed her." The other girl responded. Tori just sighed.

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" She asked. Just then, another guy came into the room, one they recognised as Xander.

"Guys, the car's arrived." He told them. He looked to Adam and smiled. "Angel Grove, here we come."

With that, they all got up and headed for the door. Jake looked back to Noah.

"OK, what gives?" He asked.

"Wait...you were Adam right?" Noah asked. He just nodded. "Well, I was TJ...and I was also Justin for a bit."

"So?" Jake asked him.

"All of them served with Tommy Oliver!" Noah reminded him. "Adam was on the team with him for years...TJ was on the Moon Mission with him...and Justin was on the Turbo team with him."

"I was Tommy briefly." Jake stated. "You think Tommy has the keys?"

"I think our will to find the keys is guiding us towards where we need to look to find them." Noah stated. "And somehow...I think it has something to do with Tommy."

"So he has them?" Jake asked. Just then, the mansion disappeared from view.

"I...guess we're going to find out." Noah answered.

When the vision returned to something recognisable, Jake was on his knees underneath a computer console, a bunch of wires in his hand. He was never the most tech-minded kind of guy, he could do a web search and send tweets with the best of them, but he was no tech whizz. That was more Noah's thing than his. As he worked though, his hands seemed to operate on their own, guiding him like they knew what they were doing better than he did.

"Another upgrade?" He heard a female voice saying. He just smiled.

"I was just boosting the system security." He replied.

"Well, I guess if you ARE going to be the city's most prolific hacktivist you kind of need to make sure you don't have the cops turning up at your doorstep." She replied. Jake just smiled as he pulled out from under the desk.

"What makes you think I'm a hacktivist?" He asked innocently. He saw someone standing in the doorway, recognising his surroundings as being Ninja Ops.

"JadeShogun?" She asked...or at least...it sounded like a woman. He recognised the blue-trimmed uniform as Tori's. "I may be blonde, but I'm not..."

Just then, she shifted shape, turning into Noah, but still wearing the Ninja uniform. He looked to Jake.

"Jake?" He asked. Jake just got up.

"Um...OK, so I guess Cam was a Green Ranger." He stated. "So...we're the Ninjas now?"

"I guess so." Noah answered.

"What did they have to do with Tommy?" Jake asked. He just shook his head.

"I don't..." He suddenly hit on a thought. "Wait, the memory...maybe it contains the clue. Maybe it'll lead us to what we're meant to see."

"But...we're Cam and Tori." Jake reminded him. "How are we meant to watch this if we're the only characters?"

"We're riding these memories right?" Noah asked. "Maybe...maybe we can...you know...play the parts."

"Play the parts?" Jake asked him.

"Yeah, you know...let the memory take us and let us have this conversation the way they did." He suggested. Jake just looked sceptical. "Come on Jake...it'll be just like drama class, only we'll get the script in our heads!"

Jake paused and concentrated for a moment, closing his eyes as he tried to focus. As he opened them, Noah had shifted back into Tori.

"...stupid." She said, completing her sentence. Cam just sighed.

"So you figured it out?" He asked. She just let out a small laugh.

"That expose someone pulled on the finance company that was funding the smuggling of Blood Diamonds into Blue Bay? I know maybe three people with the mad computer skills needed to pull that." Tori reminded him. "And two of them are more into dinosaurs."

"OK, fine, I did that." Cam told her. "Come on Tori, you felt it too...I miss the action. This is one thing I can do to make the world a better place!"

"So you became a hacktivist to save the world huh?" She asked him playfully. "So...what about the time you brought down the local cable provider?"

"He was over-charging me." Cam said with a little smile. He booted up the computer, and started it up. "And right now, I'm in the process of hooking up with my partner...creating a network that'll really be a pain in The Armada's ass!"

"Let me guess...our friends in Reefside?" Tori asked.

"I don't know what you mean." He said innocently. "My partner is called..."

"It's Ethan isn't it?" She asked. He just looked at her.

"I don't know..."

"Like I said, I know maybe three people with the skills needed to pull this off." Tori teased him. "Just remember, while you're saving the world in Cyberspace...try not to bring the Feds to our doorstep."

At that point, Tori shifted back into Noah and Cam turned back into Jake. They just stared at each other.

"Wait...Ethan?" Noah asked. "Who's Ethan?"

Looking to the computer, Jake saw the text on screen asking if he wanted to establish a connection. He just shrugged.

"I guess there's one way to find out." He replied, hitting the enter key. The background faded into nothing.


	7. Lavira's Over Ride

On The Armada Command Ship, Lavira was sitting with Prince Vekar as the medical droids worked on him. Her armour had done its job, shielding him from the worst of the blast and the heat, but his use of the Solar Flare, a technique that even Argus, arguably one of the most powerful swordsmen in existence, was hesitant to use, had almost killed him.

He was unconscious, and the droids were working on replacing the burned flesh on his face and hands. They were confident that he would survive the internal injuries he had caused himself through his carelessness, but the one thing that hadn't changed about the Prince in the time he had started training with Argus was his arrogance. The droids were working furiously to try and ensure that he would have little or no noticeable scarring. The last thing any of them wanted was to displease him and risk him taking it out on those charged with his care.

Argus came into the room, standing by Lavira's side.

"You wished to see me?" He asked her. She wiped away a tear as she continued to look over the Prince's injured form.

"The Rangers have gone too far this time." She told him. "We cannot allow this insult to stand."

"Damaras will order out next move on the Rangers when the time is right." Argus assured her. "He is already..."

"We will NOT wait until that copper-headed moron is ready to do something to avenge this attempt on the Prince's life!" She snapped at Argus.

"In the event of the Prince being incapacitated, command falls to Damaras." Argus reminded her. "It is his place to co-ordinate the campaign."

"I am sick of the avalanche of ineptitude in his command!" She yelled. "You are the Prince's personal bodyguard! It is your place..."

"It is my place to remain by the prince and ensure his safety." Argus interrupted her. "On the ship, he is safe. Anything further must be specifically ordered by the current General, and at present, that is Damaras."

"But your Prince..."

"I have no interest in your emotional response." Argus cut her off. "If that is all...?"

"Actually, there is one more thing I have to say. She came over to Damaras, leaning in closely so that the medical droids wouldn't hear her. Getting close to the receiver, she whispered.

"Command over-ride, Alpha 28081993!" She whispered. It activated something within Argus' programming, a back-door programme she had installed in his central command protocols. She had programmed it in without anyone's knowledge, intending it as a last resort in case they somehow lost control of Argus. She took a step away from him, straightening herself out. "Go to Earth and seek a battle with the Rangers. Avenge your Prince."

"It will be done." He responded with a little bow, before turning and leaving the room. Lavira returned to the Prince's side, placing her hand on his arm gently.

"Make them pay Argus." She snarled. "Make them PAY!"

Back within the visions, Jake found himself sitting at a desk, going through some documents. It took him a little while to get his bearings. He had a look around seeing he was in some kind of...well...cave was probably the most accurate description. While there were a lot of computers and monitors around, the rough, rocky walls did not give it the appearance of a basement or bunker that had been specifically built for the purpose. In another corner, there was kind of a gym, a few pieces of equipment, all of which was surprisingly clean and well-maintained, like it got plenty of use. The heavy bag looked a little worn, but that just gave him the impression that it too saw a lot of use.

The desk in front of him was littered with paperwork, something which seemed more than a little out of place given all the computers around the place. Why would anyone with access to this kind of technology not use it to assist with paperwork? As he looked to the paper in his hand, he saw scientific equations, data...but strangely, it was stuff that he recognised. It wasn't as if he recognised it because of his shared knowledge of past Rangers...he had been doing these exact same equations only a year ago.

"This...this is...High school work!" He stated, looking through some of it. Some of the other papers had red pen marks on them, notes and corrections in the work. As he picked up one paper, he looked to the title page.

"Reefside High School Science department." He read aloud. "Care of...Dr T. Oliver, PhD."

He got up, looking around for something reflective, eventually finding a computer screen that had been turned off. He looked into it, and saw a familiar face.

"I'm Tommy again?" He asked, looking down at his clothing. He was wearing Khaki trousers, and a black T-shirt, with a chequered shirt over it. In the pocket was a pocket protector, with a few pens in it. He saw the red pen in his other hand. "Wait...what? Tommy went from working for Anton Mercer to...teaching High School science?"

Just then, he heard a crash from the corner of the room. He furrowed his brows.

"Careful Ethan, do you have any idea how much that cost me to put together?" He heard a female voice asking. He rounded a corner, finding a red-haired woman standing by one of his computers, surrounded by parts and tools. There was some rustling coming from underneath it, and a pair of legs sticking out, indicating there was at least one other person in the room. Some more parts came flying out a second later. "Seriously Ethan, is that necessary?"

"Man, where did you get these parts Hayley?" The voice asked as another part came flying out. "I swear, I haven't even SEEN one of these since Grad school!"

"Ethan, what the hell are you doing?" Tommy asked. "I asked you to update the system, not tear my computer to pieces!"

"No offence Dr O, but I DO know what I'm doing with this stuff." Ethan replied.

"We know Ethan; we all saw that Time magazine article." Hayley told him. "We all know you're on the top ten list of those under thirty to watch in technology."

"Not to mention I launched the fastest-growing software company in history." He replied, coming out from under the computer. "Trust me, when a guy that earned 1.3 billion dollars in his first year of business agrees to update your computer for free...it's best to listen."

As Ethan looked to Tommy though, both of them shifted shape. Noah found himself looking straight at Jake.

"Wait, Jake?" He asked. "Where are we?"

"My tech is not outdated!" Hayley snapped, picking up one of the components. They just looked to her, but as she stared at them, clearly unhappy, they remembered that this was a memory. It had already happened, meaning that she had no idea of their interactions. She continued to respond as she had at the time. She was still seeing and hearing the scene as it happened.

"OK, I've figured out this much...I'm Tommy again." Jake told him. "Only...he's older now. Like...my dad kind of old!"

"This was cutting edge Ethan, I built it myself!" Hayley said sharply. Noah just looked to Jake.

"Well, whoever I am...apparently he can be kind of an arrogant jerk." Noah answered. She just thrust the part into his hands.

"Yeah, well not all of us have the benefit of a multi-million dollar company behind us!" She responded. "I didn't see you complaining back in the day!"

With that, she stormed off. Noah just sighed.

"Well, now we're on our own, I guess we have some stuff to figure out." Noah told him. "Like...who exactly I am."

"Well, she kept calling you Ethan." Jake reminded him. "And she said something about a software company..."

"Wait...I...I can't be..." Noah went to a computer screen, and looked at it, seeing himself. He took some time to focus, at which he shifted form, and saw a familiar face. He smiled.

"Oh, my GOD!" Noah called out. "Dude, do you know who I am?"

"Ethan...something?" Jake asked him.

"I'm Ethan James!" Noah told him. "He's on the fortune 500 list! He owns one of the biggest software companies on Earth...he's like...my idol!"

"Wait, if you're in Ethan...that means he was a Ranger!" Jake reminded him. Noah suddenly started to squeal with delight.

"Oh, my GOD!" Noah screamed. "Ethan James was a Power Ranger!"

Jake looked to one of the computers, seeing a symbol on it, one he recognised from the Ranger profiles they had studied when searching for them.

"Hang on, that symbol...he wasn't just any Ranger." Jake stated. "He was a Dino Thunder Ranger!"

"Tommy was one too." Jake responded as a memory came to him. He gestured to his shirt. "I guess that explains the black thing."

"Is he on a mission to wear every colour?" Noah said in a small laugh. He concentrated for a moment, searching Ethan's memory. "Um...alright, Ethan doesn't have any of the keys."

"If Tommy had them, he'd have let the Ranger underground know." Jake added. "He's upgrading his computer system to keep up with them all."

"We know Trent doesn't have them, if he did, he'd have told us when we met him." Noah surmised. "So, that means they have to be with one of the other two Dino Rangers."

"So, how exactly do we find out where we can find them?" Jake asked. "You're not a Red, or a Yellow..."

"Wait, Tommy's the Ranger historian right?" Noah asked him. "Why don't we just..."

He jerked his head in the direction of the computer, at which Jake just smiled.

"You know, sometimes I love the fact you're a genius." He responded as they went to the computer. They started searching through the files, at which Noah just sighed and shook his head.

"No wonder this guy kept losing stuff back in the day." He commented. "Folders within folders...damned if I can figure out his filing system...its pretty non-existent. If his brain's as scattered as his computer system, no wonder he could never remember anything!"

"Come on Noah, he can't be that bad." Jake told him. "He is the most active Ranger there's been! Surely he has to have...OK, that is pretty random."

"Hang on; I think I've found the right file." Noah told him, opening it. "Yes...yes...two more...Red Dino Thunder Ranger, Conner McKnight."

"Conner McKnight?" Jake asked. "I went to one of his training camps! He's awesome!"

"Well, apparently he was also the Red Ranger for that team." Noah said as he stroked his chin.

"What?" Jake asked. "Where is he?"

"I was just thinking...all of these visions...it really felt like they were all connected." Noah told him.

"Yeah, they were all connected by Tommy!" Jake told him. "Adam and Justin both served with Tommy, the Ninjas and the Dinos teamed up, so that's how you ended up with Tori...and Adam again..."

"No, I get the feeling I'm missing something." Noah stated. "If we're looking for the keys, and they belong to one of the other Dino Thunder Rangers..."

He stopped in his tracks.

"We saw the team-up with the Overdrive team." He reminded him. "Conner wasn't part of that team-up...but the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger was!"

"Was she?" Jake asked. "I didn't see her!"

"We only saw her from behind!" Noah reminded him. "She had her back to us when she was talking to Adam about Tommy being a doctor!"

"So, you think it's the Yellow Ranger?" Jake asked. "Then who is she?"

He found the file, and pulled up the picture.

"Um...OK, that could be a problem!" Noah stated.

"Is that Kira Ford?" He asked, gesturing to the screen. Noah just nodded. "So, we find Kira, and then if she doesn't have them, we try Conner."

"How?" He asked.

"Orion, can you help us out here?" Noah asked. "It's time we were..."

A moment later, Noah slumped backwards, hitting the floor hard. He started to shake his head as he came to. Orion was standing over Jake, and Gia was trying to bring Jake back around.

"You...you've been under quite a while." Orion told them.

"Guys, you wouldn't believe what we've seen!" Noah told them. "We think we know..."

"There'll be time for that later!" Gia interrupted him. "We really wish we could let you rest up, but Argus just showed up in the city."

"Argus?" Jake asked. "Doesn't he normally stay by Vekar's side wherever he goes?"

"There's time enough to worry about that later!" Gia told them. "Come on guys, if we don't get a move on, Manhattan's going to have a lot to worry about!"

**A/N: **Slightly short chapter, but I really am trying to have this wrapped up before my trip. It will probably be wrapped up in the next chapter or two...hopefully I get them out.

As a quick challenge, can anyone tell me how I came up with Lavira's over-ride code for Argus? Have fun, and thanks for reading.


	8. Argus Revenge

The Red Galleon soared over the Manhattan skyline, closing in on the signal. Gia guided the ship down, getting as low as she dared while Noah checked out the scanners.

"Well, something's definitely down there." He told them. "I've got the signal, he's somewhere near Times Square."

"I guess we can't be too surprised that Vekar wanted a lot of innocent bystanders." Jake grumbled.

"Maybe not as many as you'd think." Noah responded. "This is weird...I have his signal, but there's no chatter on the police scanners...the media...there's nothing about an attack!"

"Wait, so Argus has been sent down to Earth...and he isn't doing anything?" Emma asked. "He's just sending out a signal so we know he's here?"

"So, you think he's just calling us out?" Jake asked in response.

"We did kind of put the Prince in the infirmary." Jordan reminded him.

"Uh...actually, he did that to himself." Gia said with a slightly evil smirk. "If I remember rightly, you were kind of getting acquainted with the ground...a lot!"

"Whatever!" Jordan responded. "The point is, the Prince is hurt, are we really surprised his bodyguard is pissed?"

"If he's so pissed, then why isn't he...you know...causing more hassle?" Emma asked.

"We can ask him when we find him." Gia replied. "Noah, is that cannon of yours up and running?"

"Well, I haven't tested..."

"Fine, we'll call that the back-up plan." Gia answered. "Come on guys; let's take this search to the ground."

The Red Galleon started to descend between the buildings, bringing them as close to the ground as they could risk going. The Rangers hit the zip lines, riding them to the ground in the middle of the square. Orion just looked around in awe.

"Wow...now this is...excessive." He commented, seeing all the lights and TV screens. The lights flooded the streets, meaning that even in the dead of night; it was still as bright as in the middle of the day. The Rangers' presence was already causing quite a stir, and people were standing, staring at them.

"If you think this is excessive, you should see Vegas." Emma commented. "I'd hate to think of the damage all the fossil fuels needed to power this is causing."

"We can worry about that later." Jake stated. "For now, we should at least be grateful that because of the lights we can see the whole street. It shouldn't be too hard to see him."

"Yeah...I don't think Argus is really the 'sneak up and launch a surprise attack' kind of guy." Gia chipped in as they formed a circle, standing back-to-back. "But...it doesn't hurt to be careful."

"Oh great, you've got to be kidding." Noah complained as a couple of cops started to make their way over from the station house a little way off. One of them was going to his belt for some hand cuffs. "Really?"

"Let me handle this." Gia told him. "What seems to be the problem officer?"

"You're wanted fugitives." The first of them stated. Gia just sighed. They really couldn't blame some people for still trying to turn them in. The fact was that a lot of people still felt that the Rangers' war was causing more destruction than simply submitting to The Armada's rule. Some people believed that if the Rangers would just go away then there would be peace once more. Others...weren't so altruistic. The price on the Rangers' heads collectively now exceeded a billion dollars! Gia could practically see the cop salivating at the thought of what he was going to do with all that money once he handed them over. "I'm placing you under..."

Just then, the Time's Square billboard started to flicker and crackle. Eventually, they saw the screen shift, and show Argus' face. Everyone in the street turned to stare up at it.

"Rangers, you had the courage to follow me here!" Argus greeted them. Noah strained his eyes, and tapped Gia on the shoulder.

"Look, up there." He told her. Gia looked where he was pointing, seeing Argus on top of the billboard, holding some wires in his hand. "He's hacked the billboard."

"That's...that's one of them!" The cop stammered. "You see what you've done? You brought him here!" Jake just stared at him.

"Dude, are you serious?" He asked. "Do you think we were here sightseeing? He BROUGHT us here!"

Argus dropped the wires and leapt off the billboard. He slammed into the ground in a crouch, the force of the impact splintering concrete and setting off car alarms all around. The Rangers all stood their ground.

"This would be a good time for you to leave." Emma told the cop, who just nodded in agreement as he and his colleagues started trying to funnel panicking citizens away from the area. As Argus stood up, he drew his sword.

"I have been ordered to avenge the Prince." Argus told them. "Prepare to die!"

With that, he launched an energy wave, which knocked all of them from their feet. Jake rubbed the back of his head as he started to pull himself up.

"You know I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the bad guys that make big speeches before the pain starts." He stated, before Argus rushed across, kicking him hard in the ribs.

Up on The Armada Command Ship, Damaras was in his chambers, having left the Bridge to some petty officers while he took some personal time. He lay back on his bed, shutting down his non-essential systems, while he rested his biological components. His work was coming close to fruition, he could feel it. Closing his eyes, he found himself going right back to the beginning.

He was in the Royal Palace back on Vekar's home world, having some repairs done on his cybernetic systems. He looked up as he saw Vrak entering the room.

"How are things looking?" Vrak asked him. Damaras just looked to the arm that the droids were in the process of fitting. It wasn't the first time he had lost that arm in battle; he had lost his last biological limb in decades ago. It was something of an occupational hazard, even as one of the Armada's leading generals. Although he tended not to take the field himself if he could help it, he was no stranger to getting directly involved.

"The replacement should not take long." Damaras told him. Vrak looked to the droid, taking a tool from it.

"Leave us." He told the droid. Everyone knew that among his many talents, Vrak was exceptionally skilled with technology. He sat with Damaras and started to work on his arm.

"So, this is not the first time you have had this arm replaced is it?" He asked. Damaras just nodded.

"This will be the fifth." He responded.

"And the second this year if I am not mistaken." He stated. Damaras nodded again. "That is quite a worrying trend. Your forces seem to take significant losses."

"My Lord..."

"I see the budgets. Your fleet spends more than five times any of the others on replacement troops." He continued. Damaras just looked to him, hearing this damning assessment.

"My Lord, we have had severe misfortunes..."

"I think it is more than just misfortune." Vrak told him. "The only misfortune you have had is being assigned to my brother."

Damaras just looked at him, feeling slightly nauseous in some of his few biological systems.

"My Lord, it is..."

"My brother is a moron!" Vrak interrupted him. "I have shut off the surveillance in here, you can speak plainly."

"Prince Vekar is...lacking in tactical ability." Damaras said, trying to phrase it as diplomatically as possible, still thinking that Vrak was possibly trying to assess if the questionable success rates of his fleet were down to him, and holding him to account. "He can be rash, and sometimes his enthusiasm causes him to make snap judgements..."

"I said you can speak plainly." Vrak told him. Damaras took a deep breath.

"I believe the problem is your brother." He told him honestly. "I am his tactical advisor, a position I earned by expanding the Empire on behalf of his father a great deal, but since being assigned to the Prince's fleet...losses have increased dramatically! He constantly ignores my advice or..."

"Then if you could, you are saying your recommendation would be to remove the Prince!" Vrak summarised.

"I believe that would be the best tactical option." Damaras told him. "I am not the only one that believes so. Many commanders have no faith in the Prince to lead them."

"Really?" Vrak asked him. "You know, what you speak of is treason."

"My Lord?" Damaras asked, suddenly becoming worried. Was this really a ruse to get him to admit to treasonous thoughts? Was he going to be accused of trying to blame his failures on the Prince? He immediately started to thinking about how he could get out of this situation. Perhaps if he was willing to bear witness and name some of the others that had such thoughts, then he could beg for mercy and simply be banished. Vrak picked up a piece of armour after finishing with the circuitry, and put it in place, beginning to clip it into place.

"I have served beside you, I know of your abilities." Vrak told him. "I think we can both agree on the causal factor."

"I never meant..."

"Perhaps you are onto something." Vrak suggested. "After all...it's not like he is the ONLY Royal."

"But...he is the heir!" Damaras stammered. Vrak just smiled.

"There is a way to rectify that now isn't there?" He asked. He handed Damaras a communicator. "This will allow us to stay in contact."

"My Lord, what do you want me to do?" He asked. Vrak just smiled.

"We must ensure that when the deed is done, no one will mourn him." Vrak stated. "I have been assigned to go with the Warstar. Once I am finished with them, I will contact you. In the meantime, continue to serve my brother as you have."

As Vrak got up, and prepared to leave, Damaras took a moment to process what he had said. Vrak was indeed a far better leader, and a preferable choice for a monarch than Vekar. He knew what had to be done, but he knew how dangerous a proposal it was. Anyone that even INSULTED the Prince would face the prospect of execution. An attempt on his life was a different matter altogether.

"Lord Vrak!" He called out. Vrak just stopped in the door way. "Could you really...your own brother?" Vrak just smiled.

"After what I already did to my father, what's one more relative?" He asked in response.

Damaras was drawn back to the present as his communicator crackled into life. He saw one of the droids on the bridge as he turned on the screen.

"What is it?" He asked. "Why did you disturb me?"

"Sir, we wanted to update you on the progress." The droid told him.

"Progress?" He asked.

"We have found Argus' signal on Earth." The droid explained. "He is battling the Rangers as we speak..."

"Argus is WHERE?" He roared.

"Sir?" The droid asked. "You didn't know...?"

"I ordered no attack!" He yelled. "What the hell is he doing?"

"He is fighting the Rangers." The droid replied. "It appears he attacked them."

"I'll be there shortly!" He responded, heading for the door and making his way down the corridor. He had not ordered any attack; in fact he had ordered Argus to stay on the ship! He didn't know how he had managed to defy him, but he definitely wanted to find out.

Back in Times Square, the Rangers struggled against Argus, taking hard shots as he cut through them. Although they had fought him before, he had always been distracted somehow. He had another agenda, another objective to focus on. His systems seemed to always identify the primary objective as over-riding everything else, something that had been used to their advantage before. When Noah had injured Vekar before, Argus had immediately called off his attack to evacuate the Prince to safety. Unfortunately, this time, it seemed like they WERE his primary objective, and he had no distractions.

Jake and Emma spiralled through the air, smashing through a store front as he turned his attention to Gia, who was coming up fast, firing her blaster. He deflected the shots with his palm, before hacking her down with his sword. Gia was only just able to roll away before he could follow up to finish her off.

"Damn, he's tougher than I remember." Noah complained. "I think he was holding back!"

"Well that's comforting." Jordan said as he leapt at Argus. He managed to score some superficial shots to his opponent, but Argus soon hooked his sword, throwing it away. He powered up his blade, and sent him flying up into the air. As he landed, Noah and the others assembled around him.

"Noah, call up the cannon." Gia told him.

"Gia, it's untested..."

"Does anyone have a better idea?" She asked. Noah nodded in understanding.

"Cannon!" He called out. They all just stared at him as it appeared in his hands. "What?"

"Cannon?" Jake asked. "You called it 'Cannon'?"

"I've not tested it yet, it hasn't gotten to the naming stage yet!" He replied. "Now, everyone grab it!"

The device was designed to look like the Red Galleon, with handles for them all to hold. Noah took up the trigger position.

"Alright, hold on tight, this thing will have a hell of a kick." Noah warned them. "Orion, be ready with your blaster in case this doesn't work!"

Noah started to charge the cannon, taking careful aim at Argus. He just stared them down, preparing his sword to repel the attack.

As the cannon powered up though, they all saw a bright light starting to blink.

"Oh no." Noah grumbled.

"Noah, is it supposed to get this hot?" Emma asked him.

"What's happening?" Gia asked him.

"A bad thing, a VERY bad thing!" Noah told them. "Guys, it's going to blow!"

Gia snatched it away from them, throwing it straight at Argus, hoping to at least cause some damage as it blew. Argus swung for it, at which it blew, sending out a blast that shattered windows and sent everyone to the ground. By the time the smoke cleared, they could see he looked a little charred, and some sparks were coming from his sword-arm, but he was still on his feet. He just stared them down. They all watched as he started to power up his sword.

"Now, this is how it should be done!" Argus told them, carving a flaming x shape in the air. "Solar Flare!"

Casting out his ultimate attack, Orion barely managed to throw himself clear as it hit home. The others all hit the ground and de-morphed. Orion looked to Argus, and saw that the attack had taken a lot out of him too. His arm was hanging loosely. He rushed towards him, leaping high into the air, powering up his Silver Spear.

He threw it down with a huge yell, slicing through Argus' sword arm, tearing it from his body. He snatched it up as he landed, swiping Argus to the ground with a huge swipe. He converted his Silver Spear into blaster mode, placing a key into it, and turning it, powering it up. He levelled the blaster at Argus' head.

As he prepared to fire, he stopped as he levelled it at him.

"Orion, you've got him." Gia stated. "Finish him off!"

Orion tightened his grip on the handle, his finger tightening around the trigger, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had to know..."

"The Solar Flare...I've seen it before." He told him. "How do you know it?"

"Orion, pull the damn trigger!" Noah yelled.

"Finish him!" Jake called out. Orion's hand started shaking as the thought occurred to him. He looked at Argus' fallen body, and took a deep gulp. His arm dropped, meaning he was no longer aiming at Argus.

"Orion, what the hell are you doing?" Jake screamed. Just then, Argus swept his legs out from under him with his hand, dropping him to the ground. He rolled over Orion, grabbing his helmet in his one remaining hand.

"You should have finished me when you had the chance!" He called out. He smashed the back of Orion's head off the ground, shattering his helmet. He de-morphed, lying completely helpless beneath his opponent.

Argus stared at him, unable to figure out why, but something buried in his memory, something beyond his programming was speaking to him, like he knew who this was.

In a flash of light, he disappeared, leaving the Rangers behind. Emma just looked to Orion.

"Orion, what happened?" She asked him.

"I...I...I couldn't do it." He told her.

"You had one of the most powerful and dangerous opponents we've ever faced on his back, and NOW you grow a sense of restraint?" Jake asked him. "What the hell man?"

"I couldn't do it because..." His words tailed off. "Because Argus...Argus is Marv."

"Marv?" Emma asked.

"Look, we can talk about this later." Gia told them. "I'd really rather not be here when those cops get back."

With that, they all drew their zip-lines, heading back to the ship. They had barely scraped their way out of that battle. They needed a new plan if they were going to face Argus again.


	9. New Problems on the Horizon

On The Armada Command Ship, Damaras raced through the corridors after getting the signal that Argus had returned. He arrived to find him heavily damaged from his battle with the Rangers, his metalwork scorched and dented. Most prominently, his right arm was missing, ripped from his body. He was carrying it in his left hand, his sword still clutched in the hand of his severed arm. Repair droids were already rushing towards him, but Damaras got to him first.

"Leave us!" He roared angrily as he stared at Argus. "You disobeyed a direct order!"

"I disobeyed no order." Argus answered. He just stared at him in disbelief.

"I ordered you to stay on the ship! I ordered you to maintain a guard over Prince Vekar!" He yelled.

"That is correct." Argus responded.

"Then you disobeyed a direct order!" Damaras reiterated. "The Prince is incapacitated! When the Prince is unfit to give orders, command of the ship and our forces falls to the Chief Tactical Officer!"

"That is correct." Argus said again. Damaras just glared at him.

"Then you disobeyed a direct order!" He stated coldly.

"I disobeyed no order." Argus told him. "I obeyed a direct order."

"The Prince is laid up in the infirmary!" He yelled at him. "He is no more capable of giving orders than he is facing the Rangers himself right now!"

"That is correct." Argus told him. Damaras by now was struggling to keep his temper in check. Argus was talking in riddles; something that he was not programmed to do. He was programmed to give direct answers. He clenched his fists as he tried to keep his cool.

"If the Prince gave you no order, and as Chief Tactical Officer I gave you no order, how then were you able to act?" He asked him.

"I was given a direct order by my Chief Tactical Officer." Argus told him. Damaras was ready to explode.

"I AM THE CHIEF TACTICAL OFFICER!" He screamed, his voice reverberating around the ship. Argus just looked at him.

"That is incorrect." He responded. "I am going to the repair bay."

"Don't you walk away from me!" Damaras said as Argus turned and walked away. "What do you mean you walking tin can? Answer me!"

It was too late though; Argus was walking with purpose towards the repair bay to be returned to optimal condition. Damaras just shook his head in frustration, before following Argus to the repair bay.

Back on the Red Galleon, the Rangers were licking their wounds after the battle which had brought ruin to Times Square. As Emma limped into the room, handing an ice-pack to Jordan, he held it to the back of his neck.

"This is getting WAY too familiar." He grumbled. "Hasn't someone explained to these guys that the good guys are meant to win?"

"We...kind of did." Gia reminded him as she bent and straightened her leg, working out some of the movement after taking a hard hit to the knee in the battle. She hissed as the pain shot through her. "I guess none of us ever come out of a fight with perfect hair and make-up like in a TV show."

"I don't get it, I just...I don't get it." Noah muttered, looking at the wreckage that had been his cannon weapon. He had warned them that he hadn't tested it, but he hadn't expected it to fail so spectacularly. They had salvaged what they could of it...which wasn't a whole lot to be honest. If he was entirely honest, he would probably end up just starting from the ground up again. It didn't look like anything was worth keeping. "I was so close!"

"Noah, why did you try building that thing anyway?" Jake asked him. "I mean, I know we're always looking for the next power up and all that, but...why build that thing when we have the swivel guns on the ship? We could just take one of them off!"

"Jake..."

"We know they work!" He interrupted him.

"Jake...it's basic physics." Noah told him. "The issue isn't just getting a lot of power to come out of it; it's balancing it with a dampening system to reduce the return force."

"Meaning...?"

"Meaning the swivel guns have a hell of a kick!" Gia told him. "Newton's first law says for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction."

"Yeah, Mr Burley said that." Jake agreed.

"Force equals mass times acceleration right?" She asked him. He just nodded. "Since the acceleration of the energy would be the same, the only thing that would change would be the mass."

"Uh...OK?" Jake asked. "Meaning...?"

"Meaning it isn't a problem when it's attached to a ship that weighs several tons!" She explained. "Firing it by hand would be a good way to take an express flight to Taihiti!"

"So...we need Noah to figure out this dampening thing." Jake conceded.

"We need SOMETHING." Jordan replied. "We lucked out with Argus that he underestimated that blast when the cannon blew up. We can't rely on that kind of luck again."

"Well, maybe we wouldn't have to if someone had done what needed to be done!" Jake said, glaring at Orion. The Silver Ranger felt his glare and looked a little put out. "What about it Orion? One minute we're having to tell you that you can't just blow the shit out of everything in your way, then when we actually have one of The Armada's most powerful troops bang to rights, you suddenly decide that's the time to hold back?"

"You don't understand." Orion told him.

"Well why don't you help me then?" Jake asked him. "I'm sure we'd all love to know!"

"I just...I couldn't do it!" Orion told them. "I'm sorry, but Argus...there's something about him..."

"What is it?" Gia asked. She could see how troubled he was. She gestured to Jake to back down. "Why couldn't you do it?"

"I couldn't...because I know him." Orion told them. "At least, I know who he was before."

"Before?" Emma asked. "You mean...before he became a cyborg?"

"What's the story Orion?" Noah asked him. Orion just sighed and looked to them.

"I've suspected for a while." He told them. "There were just a few things he said, some things he did that reminded me...one time when we fought, he called my Silver Spear a toothpick."

"So?" Jake asked.

"I started to suspect, but...I had my suspicions confirmed when I saw him today, when he used the Solar Flare." He told them. "It's one of the most powerful sword techniques in existence."

"Yeah, we kind of got that." Noah answered.

"No, you don't get it. There are maybe half a dozen people in this sector of the galaxy that can use it." He told them. "I've only ever seen one person use it."

"Who?" Gia asked.

"Marv." He replied. "He was on Lafitte's crew with me."

Orion was on the bridge of an Armada raiding ship, wading through waves of X-borgs with his trident. They had ambushed it shortly after it had gone to collect tribute from a trading post on the edge of their territory. A little way off, Marv was having the time of his life, tagging enemies as they piled through the door with his twin blasters.

"Vekar never learns does he?" Orion said with a smile. "He always follows the same protocol, no matter how many of his ships we take out!"

"Vekar's and idiot, even his own people know it!" Marv laughed out loud as he tossed a grenade into the corner, taking out a large group. "Why do you think he uses droids so much? They're the only ones dumb enough to follow his orders!"

Orion couldn't help laughing. There had been times he doubted he would laugh again following the loss of his home, but Marv helped him take a certain joy in his mission of revenge. He was able to make Orion laugh when he had forgotten how.

He was distracted, and it cost him. He was thrown to the floor as an explosion ripped through the wall, stunning him. Marv was immediately beside him, pouring blasts into the entrance way, through the smoke.

"What...what is that?" Orion asked.

"Something bad, something very bad!" Marv told him. "Know what we said about Vekar never learning? It looks like he is!"

Orion couldn't see properly, all he could see was a dark, shadowy figure. Marv threw a grenade, which went off with a deafening explosion. However, as his vision cleared, he could see that the creature was still coming.

"Shit!" Marv stated as he put his blasters away. He pulled out his sword, the first time Orion could remember seeing him do so.

"Marv, what are you doing?" Orion yelled. "If grenades don't work..."

"Trust me!" He called out. Orion just watched as the blade of his sword burst into flames, flames which quickly went from a lazy, flickering orange, to a bright, intense yellow.

"Marv?" He asked. Marv didn't respond though. He was concentrating too deeply on the deadly technique. The air around him grew warm and heavy, making breathing difficult. Marv brought the blade down from above his right shoulder, bringing it down diagonally, leaving a trace in the air. He did the same in the other direction, creating an X-shape that burned with an intensity Orion could not believe. Marv gritted his teeth as he gripped his sword more tightly.

"Solar Flare!" He roared, casting it forward. Orion couldn't see for what felt like several minutes as a result of the intensity of the attack. By the time his vision started to come back, the bridge was completely scorched black, and most of the systems were flickering and sparking. He saw Marv on his knees next to him, breathing heavily, the sword held limply in his fingers. He looked to Orion, who was staring at him completely speechless.

"You didn't think I carried that for show did you?" He chuckled, nursing his ribs as he coughed slightly. "Yeah...there's a reason I don't do that too often."

"Subtle as always Marv, that's what I love about you!" Lafitte said in a drawl as he walked into the room. He hefted a small canvas bag in his hand, which jingled as he did so. "Fortunately you haven't destroyed EVERYTHING worth stealing. Orion, help him back to the ship would you? Kolo's setting the charges."

With that, Orion helped Marv to his feet, positioning himself under his arm for support.

"Wow...so...you think...?"

"I don't think, I know." Orion interrupted Emma. "Argus IS Marv!"

"I'm so sorry." Emma said sympathetically.

"Look, I know he might have been your friend, but he's Argus now!" Jake stated.

"You can say what you want Jake, I can't just kill him!" Orion told him flatly. "Marv and I served together a long time! He saved my hide more times than I can remember! If there's even a chance, the smallest chance, that we can get him back, I'm going to take it!"

"Orion." Gia chipped in, getting up and hobbling over to him slowly as she straightened up to her full height. She looked straight at him. "It's admirable you want to help your friend, and if we can, I swear we will do everything we can."

She grabbed him and pulled him in closer.

"But you know what we're facing. You know how powerful Argus is." Gia reminded him. "If it comes down to it, if our lives, the lives of everyone on the planet rely on it, you have to be able to pull the trigger."

"I know...I just..."

"I'm serious." Gia interrupted him. "We'll do everything we can to help him, but if you can't do the job, if you can't make that decision, now's the time to bail."

Orion thought about it long and hard. He knew that Gia was right, that the safety of the team was the most important thing. Marv had said the exact same thing, it was the only reason he had fled when he believed Marv had sacrificed himself to let him escape. He looked to Gia and nodded.

"If I can't help him, I'll give him peace." Orion said sadly. "You have my word."

"Um...so...what now?" Emma asked, looking to Jake and Noah. "What's our next move?"

"Well, we think we have a lead." Noah told them. "It's pretty solid."

"The vision took a bit of a roundabout route, but it all came to the Dino Thunder team." Jake told them. "We know that Dino Thunder Black, Tommy, and Dino Thunder Blue, Ethan, don't have the keys."

"Right...so who does?" Jordan asked. "It's got to be either Red or Yellow, they're the only ones left."

"Well, we haven't confirmed which, but since only one of them turned up in our visions...and had a connection to more than one of the Rangers we...well...look, let's just say, we really think it's Dino Yellow." Noah explained. "She seems the most likely candidate."

"If it isn't her, we can always track down Red anyway." Jake stated.

"Great, that's fantastic." Gia answered. "So...who is it?"

"Well, that's where we have a problem." Noah told her. He went to the computer and pulled up an image. "Allow me to introduce the Dino Thunder Yellow Ranger..."

"Kira Ford?" Gia asked, needing to sit down. Emma just smirked a little.

"I think someone's a little star-struck." She teased her. "Didn't you have all her CD's?"

"Emma..."

"Of course...was it only her music you were interested in?" Emma asked. Gia just cast her a death-glare, but she was blushing slightly.

"Well, we know who it is!" Orion stated. "So...what's the problem?"

"Kira's a singer." Noah explained. "She's on tour..."

"So we pull up her tour schedule and we can find her!" He announced. "Problem solved!"

"Yeah." Gia commented. "The world's most wanted fugitives strolling up to one of the world's most famous singers without attracting attention! That'll be simple!"

Orion was about to answer, but just sat down silently. The Rangers had a lot to think about. If Noah was right, the key wasn't hard to find. Unfortunately that wasn't the problem. The problem was how to get it.

On The Armada Command Ship, Lavira was working on repairing Argus after his battle. She had been forced to leave the Prince's side, despite her reservations, once she realised her greatest creation had failed in his mission of revenge and returned, critically damaged.

Damaras was in the room with her, checking consoles as she worked. She knew that he was looking for how Argus could have refused a direct order from him, something that he had always believed was impossible, ever since they had created him. She finished with the circuitry in his replacement arm and started to close everything up.

"What...what is this?" He asked as he observed something. "This code...I've never seen this before!"

Lavira paused hearing this. She had yet to de-activate her over-ride code. Damaras had arrived in the repair room before her, so she hadn't had a chance to de-activate her own control programme before he could start checking out Argus' programming. He was nowhere near her level, but Damaras was no fool when it came to weapon's technology.

"This coding...it's..." His words tailed off as he read it. Lavira slowly put down her tools and turned towards him. "This is how it was done! He was assigned..."

"He has a protocol which assigns him to another ship." Lavira told him. "The King Mondo."

"There is no such ship! We do not have a King Mondo!" He snapped. Just then, he realised something. He just glared at her. She just nodded. "You..."

"I acted where you refuse to do anything!" She snarled. "The Prince..."

"You sent one of our most powerful warriors into battle, and turned him into scrap!" He yelled. "How?"

"I created an over-ride code when I created him." She told him. "It assigns him to the King Mondo, a ship where the Prince is still Commander, and I am Chief Tactical Officer."

"That is TREASON!" He snarled, drawing a weapon. As he did so, he looked around, hearing weapons powering up. He looked to Lavira who just smirked at him.

"It is a poor weapons' designer who is destroyed by their own weapons." She told him. "And you are on a ship full of my creations."

Bruisers levelled blasters his way. Damaras weighed up his options and put his weapon away. Even if he did take out Lavira, she was right. Most of the crew, most of the weapons...even the ship itself was largely her work. He couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't have put similar safeguards in place for all of them. She just stepped forward.

"I cannot prove you are a traitor, and that is the only thing keeping you alive." She warned him. "But if you ever give me reason to suspect otherwise...watch your back!"

She just sat back in her chair and picked up one of her tools.

"Now, if that's everything?" She asked. Damaras just turned and stormed away, clearly unhappy. "I thought so."

As she got back to work, Argus' systems were shut down, but his biological components were still working. If anything, the fact his cybernetics were offline allowed him a clarity he normally didn't have.

He found himself in the past, standing in a store room with Lafitte. He was inspecting the latest plunder taken from an unwary trading ship.

"Look, all I'm saying is we need to seriously think about this from now on." He told him. "Orion already refuses to come on these missions!"

Orion was not interested in plunder. Sure, he didn't exactly turn down his share on a point of principle, and he definitely didn't mind when they docked somewhere to spend their gains, but his main motivation for joining Lafitte's crew was to get back at The Armada. He accepted that Lafitte and Marv occasionally went for other targets for profit, but he politely refused to go along whenever they weren't going after an Armada ship. His vengeance blinded him to the fact they still caused pain and suffering, but as long as he continued to fight when needed, Lafitte didn't care how he spent this other time as long as he didn't ask for a share.

"All I'm saying is we're getting really close to..." He paused as he tried to find his words. "We have sold in this area before."

"We've traded our plunder in a lot of places." Lafitte replied.

"Not like this!" Marv responded. "What if we attack a ship that has...some of our..."

"You're worried about some of the plunder we took from Andresia!" He said with a smile. Marv just looked to him.

"Orion's a friend, I don't think..."

"And I don't think he would be YOUR friend much longer if he found out that your hands aren't exactly clean in this." Lafitte told him. "How long do you think your friendship would last if he found out you had been there when we sold those slaves?"

Marv just closed his mouth, unable to answer. Lafitte patted him on the shoulder.

"What Orion doesn't know won't hurt him." Lafitte told him. "Now, take your share and get back to work."

Marv just started to sift through the plunder, assessing his share of the goods, but he felt sick to his stomach. Orion had grown on him, and become a good friend, but a lot of that was based on a lie. Orion believed he was the last Andresian. Marv, however, knew that wasn't true. He had been there when Lafitte had sold the rest.

Fin

**A/N: **There we go folks, the end of this story...and a short hiatus while I head out West! Hope you all enjoyed it.


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